After The Sun Rose: LILY
by pottermommy1118
Summary: Part four of the ATSR Saga. Harry and Ginny embark on the journey of parenting four children. Meet the Potter siblings as a cohesive unit. Watch them attempt to survive preteen adolescence as they prepare Teddy for Hogwarts, James' boisterous energy, Albus' wit and charm, and a little girl that has them wrapped instantly around her chubby little fingers. Rated M as always.
1. Chapter 1: Denial

**_Woo Hoo the last of the birth sequels! _**

**_After this comes the Next Gen story!_**

**_Which will start when Teddy goes to Hogwarts and sort of bounce back and forth._**

**_Thank you if you have stuck with me this far!_**

**_I am not JKR._**

Chapter One

**Denial**

Harry glanced over at his despondent wife, she had never acted like this before. He honestly wasn't sure what to do about it. He understood what was wrong, she was scared, rightfully so. But she had withdrawn into herself. She went through the motions with the boys, oftentimes allowing their house elf to oversee tasks like meals and baths. Harry himself had dropped his hours to stay home more and take care of the boys. He was working no more than 20 hours a week and had completely pulled himself from active duty, doing only desk work and background searching.

It didn't help that she was still sick at 17 and a half weeks either. Her body seemed to be building a tolerance to the potions and while it wasn't near as bad as it was when they first found out, she was sick at least twice a day and had a very little acceptance for most foods. She had refused to tell the family at all, she seemed to be pretending that it hadn't happened at all. Though, it was hardly unnoticeable at this point. She had taken to wearing loose clothing, though she hadn't left the house much in the last several weeks. He couldn't help but be slightly offended at the fact that she was acting this way about their child, no matter if he understood her reasons or not. Not to mention he was pretty certain that it wasn't healthy, for her or their baby.

He walked over and let his fingers trail across her head. She glanced up at him and sighed.

"How's today been?" he asked hesitantly.

She shrugged. "James and Albus are down for a kip, Teddy went to Oliver's after school, he will be home in a few hours." She said quietly.

"Alright, and how are you two doing?" he asked and he ran his fingers over her abdomen, only feeling the heavy folds of the sweatshirt she wore, she flinched away from him.

"I am alright. I taught James a bit of reading today. And Albus turned Paddy red and gold and called him Godric all day." She said with a hint of a smile.

Harry glanced around to see if his poor tormented dog was anywhere nearby as he chuckled. "I will set him to straights later on. I am glad the boys are well, how are you, and the baby." He pushed.

He watched the familiar haze settle over her eyes and she looked away from him, visibly stiffening. He stood and huffed out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose before pushing both hands through his hair. With the absence of the kids, his temper flared unchecked.

"Gin, this is ridiculous!" he growled, throwing his hands up.

She said nothing, only looking at him as he stepped away from her.

"I get that you didn't want this ok, I get it, I do. But this is beyond far enough. That is our baby in there. OUR BABY, as in mine and yours. No different from Jamie, no different from Al and I'll be damned if you sit here and act like you don't want him. I can't take it anymore." He said, frustrated.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I want you to at least pretend that you love this baby."

"I-I can't." she stuttered.

He glared at her, he was certain that he hadn't ever been this angry with her. He never got angry with her.

"Send the boys to Ron's when they wake up, I will see to their dinner." He growled before turning to walk out of the door, running right into James who was rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Daddy is mad? But…I be'd a specially good boy today. I pwomise." He pouted. Harry sighed and picked up his son, turning back to Ginny.

"No scamp, I'm not mad at you at all. I heard that you learned to read today." He said with false cheer.

"Me did, me learned to say words on the book." He nodded.

"Well since you are such a big boy we are going to go play at Uncle Ron's today. Trixie!" he called.

A small house elf popped up in front of him. "Is there something Trixie can do for master?"

Harry nodded. "When Albus wakes up in a bit can you apparate him over to Ron and Hermione's?"

"Of course master of course." She said excitedly. Harry and Ginny rarely asked her to do anything, let alone commanded it. When one of them actually needed her she was more than thrilled.

Harry turned back to Ginny, a frown on his face. "Gin." He plead, not needing to say the words as he adjusted James on his hip.

"Harry, I just, I can't."

"Fine. Fine. Teddy can use the floo on his own, send him through if he gets home before bedtime."

He walked through the front door and sidelong apparated with James in his arms.

0o0o0o0o0

"Harry what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, stunned to see him standing at the door of their flat with her eldest godson in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I just. This was the first place I thought of." He said, gripping James tighter.

"Auntie Mimi!" James cried holding out his arms.

Hermione took him and hugged him close before setting him down.

"Hey munchkin. How are you today?" she asked, stepping to the side to let Harry enter.

"I said words in the book wif mummy, and I pyayed wif Albie and Paddy. Albie made Paddy yook all Wed and lellow, and him roared! Mummy cwied today more. Daddy was mad and yelled but hims not mad at me." He said nodding as he ran past them and down the hall where he knew Rose's room was.

"She isn't napping is she?" Harry said apologetically.

Hermione smiled as she watched James disappear. "No, Ron has her at George's shop, they should be back in a minute." She assured him.

He sat down on the sofa and dropped his head into his hands.

"What happened?" she asked, it had been a while since she saw him upset, this was one of the very few times that she saw him this mad at Ginny.

"I-I am not supposed to say anything." He muttered.

"Harry, we have known everything about each other since we were eleven, if you aren't going to tell me, who are you going to tell?"

"Me?" Ron said as he walked through the door, sitting Rose down to run off into her room.

Harry looked up and shrugged.

"I can't exactly complain to you about your sister." He said, realizing the position he had put himself in.

"Are you kidding? Who better? Here I will start. She is so effing stubborn, when she gets an idea in her head she never, never lets it go. She thinks that her ideas are always the best and if you have an idea that isn't hers she just ignores it. She hexes better than I do and uses them on me. Her kids got out of the red hair. Do I need to keep going?" He said as he sat on the sofa beside him.

Harry gave an amused chuckle. "She's pregnant." He confided.

Both Ron and Hermione looked shocked.

"And you are mad at her for it? I don't think I can support this." Ron said looking at Harry.

"Harry, I can't believe you. It isn't like she did it to herself. I mean it is your baby right? What am I saying of course it is your baby." Hermione rambled.

"Of course he is mine." Harry scoffed. "Honestly. You don't get it, I am happy about him, scared of course after the boys came early and everything but I couldn't be happier. She won't even admit she is pregnant, she won't talk about it, she won't think about it and she refuses to even entertain the idea of him at all. Not to mention she has really bad sickness to the point of needing medical attention but because she won't even consider the pregnancy, let alone the baby, she hasn't been back to see Katie since the day we found out. She outright told me she doesn't love him. She doesn't want him." Harry blustered.

"Harry." Hermione soothed. "It can take a few weeks to get used to the idea, especially if it was unexpected, and given the fact that she had complications with the boys…Just give her a bit, once she gets closer to the end of the first trimester I am sure it will be different."

"She is due the week after you." Harry said dully.

"What!' Ron yelled.

"That's impossible. I would have noticed. She would be more than 17 weeks. There is no way." Hermione argued.

"Yeah? When have you seen her in the last six weeks? She was nearly eleven weeks at the last family dinner we were at. The one we left early, you know before school started back."

"I am going to go see her. Ron stay with Harry and the kids." She said quickly before throwing powder into the fire and spinning out of sight.

O0o0o0o

"Gin! Ginny!" Hermione called through the house. She wandered through and found her sitting against the wall in Albus' room watching him sleep in his toddler bed.

"Gin." Hermione whispered seeing the tears streaming down her face.

Ginny looked up at her and then back to Albus, saying nothing. Understanding her need to sit in silence Hermione slid down the wall beside her, made more difficult by her swollen belly. They sat silently side by side. When Albus woke Hermione got up and got him changed before sending him with Trixie to her flat. When she returned to the room Ginny was still against the wall with her hands over her stomach, her face pale and drawn. Hermione took in the gaunt planes of her face and the thinness in her wrists and neck. She sat down on Albus' small bed, propping her chin on her hands.

"Tell me about the baby." She said.

"I-I can't"

"Why?"

"I can't love this baby. What if he dies because I can't hold onto him long enough. We have lost so many people Hermione. I have tried so hard to be strong for everyone else. But I lost people too, and after the boys coming early and being so afraid I was going to lose them too I just, I don't want to love this baby and risk losing him.. I can't, I just, I'm not strong enough." She said, tears pouring down her face, it was like a floodgate had suddenly opened.

Hermione felt her own tears slide down her face. "You can't pretend this isn't happening Gin. I can't imagine how scary it is, or how shocking, I know you had both decided that Al was it. But Gin this, not eating, not gaining, not going to the healer…None of it is going to help you keep that baby in there longer. None of it is good for the baby, or you. And I am pretty certain that Harry just thinks you don't want his baby."

"He doesn't think that."

"He does. I think he understands what is actually going on, deep down but on a basic level, he just thinks you don't want another baby with him. He thinks you are going to make him choose between you and this baby. He is hurt and terrified. Gin, you are a great mum. Think about Teddy, what if Remus had stayed away. What if he never went back to Tonks?"

"Wouldn't have mattered would it, they both died." She said morosely.

"Gin." Hermione said reproachfully.

"Don't Hermione, just don't. I just, I am not ready for this, I can't, I just, I can't." more tears escaped her eyes.

"Alright, then one thing at a time. We are going to make you an appointment with Katie, we will make it for the same day as mine. We can go together."

"I don't want to go."

"Ginny if you don't go, the likelihood of that baby making it full term after two premature births is slim to none. I know you have lost a lot, but so have we, so has Harry. You know that you are only so scared because you already love this baby as much as you love all three of your boys. Just, think about it alright? And I am going to get in touch with Katie, my appointment is two weeks away, that gives you time to get ready."

Ginny's face paled considerably. "I-I think I am going to be sick."

0o0o0o0o

It was late in the evening when Harry returned, Ron in tow, each of them carrying a sleeping toddler or preschooler. Teddy sleepily slipped into his bedroom and fell asleep near instantly. Ron said goodnight and slipped out before Harry stepped into his and Ginny's room. He found her in the bathroom. She was sitting in the empty bathtub, her face splotchy and she was sniffling.

He leaned against the doorframe.

"Hermione said you were sick for a good part of the afternoon." He said dryly, trying not to let his concern show.

She nodded in response.

"Are you alright? How's the…How are you?" he asked amending his sentence.

"I let Hermione make an appointment with Katie on the same day as hers."

He walked in and sat on the side of the tub, caution in his eyes. "Yeah?"

She nodded.

"I am glad, you'll, you'll at least let me know how it goes right?" he forced himself not to brush the hair from her face.

"I-I was hoping you were coming with me?" She said, tears springing to her eyes, they spilled over nearly instantly.

Harry's shoulders visibly relaxed, "If you want me there, you know I would rather be nowhere else. You sure I can't get you anything?" he said going to stand and allowing himself to move the piece of hair.

"It is time for the potion, and I think I might could drink some ginger tea, maybe try a small sandwich or something."

"Of course, give me just a minute." He said before leaving her in the bathroom.

While he was gone she stood and looked in the mirror, stripping Harry's oversized sweatshirt off, she changed into her favorite black short, short pajama bottoms and grabbed one of Harry's old Gryffindor Tshirts. She loved how soft the worn cotton was. She frowned at how thin she had gotten, it made her baby bump look unnatural. She walked barefoot to the bed and leaned against the headboard. He returned a few minutes later, tray in hand with the potion, a small tea kettle and half a turkey salad sandwich. He sat it on her bedside table before sitting at the bottom of the bed. This was the first he had seen her without tons of layers in weeks.

"Gin, you know that I love you right. No matter what." He said softly.

"Of course I do." She murmured.

He scooted up beside her when she finished sipping the potion, handing her the cup of steaming tea. He touched the hollow of her cheek bone and kissed her temple lightly, the most he had touched her in 5 weeks.

"I look terrible."

"You don't." he assured her, he looked at the way the cotton clung to her tummy.

She sipped the tea slowly.

"I felt him move a few days ago." She whispered.

Harry's eyes shot to hers and his hand jerked to touch her bump, he jerked it back. She stalled but reached for his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.

"I don't think he is strong enough for you to feel him yet." Her voice trembled. He could tell she was trying, and that it was costing her.

He leaned his forehead to hers, looking into her sad eyes. "Thank you." He said gently, caressing the side of her stomach with this thumb.

"I will try." He felt her tears on his cheeks.

"That is all I asked." He replied.

"What if I fail? What if he dies?"

"You won't fail."

"If I do?" she persisted.

"Then I will still be right here with you."


	2. Chapter 2: Remember To Breathe

**_Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the final chapter of Albus_**

**_And to those of you that have already reviewed, favorited, or alerted here._**

**_To any new readers, thank you for coming to read this,_**

**_If this is the first you have read of any of the stories you may want to back up to the original_**

**_After The Sun Rose, this is part four._**

**_While it can stand alone perfectly well you may also want to consider reading_**

**_Beginning of Legacy: James and Lily, and The End of An Era one shots_**

**_The stories link together and there is a lot of info here that relates to there_**

**_Thank you for reading and reviewing _**

**_And I am not JK Rowling, sorry._**

Chapter Two

**Remember To Breathe**

"Dad, can I go play quidditch please!" Teddy yelled from the scullery, already putting his shin guards on.

Harry glanced at his watch. They had about two hours before they were meeting George and Bill for dinner at a Muggle restaurant. "You can play for 40 minutes and then you have to get a shower and cleaned up for dinner with your uncles and aunts. Be careful please, and don't slam the." Harry called as he heard the back door slam, "door." He muttered after the fact.

That was Teddy's worst habit, letting the doors slam. He looked at the back window and watched him amble out the pitch, he felt an overwhelming sense of longing to go out there with him to keep him safe. But as Teddy so often pointed out, he was nine and a half now and didn't want his dad to follow him everywhere. But Harry often remembered the kidnapping and it made him nervous. He heard a noise behind him and turned to see Ginny padding into the kitchen in her slippers, James and Albus trailing behind her idly. He smiled softly at her as she followed through into the scullery where Harry was watching out the window previously.

"He is fine you know." She said, chuckling as Teddy couldn't wait to get to the pitch and jumped on his child's firebolt immediately.

"I know, it is just habit I guess." He said as he lifted Albus into his arms. "Ooooohhhhh BOOM!" he said, placing his little hand over his mouth in awe.

"I wanna pway wif Teddy, pwease Daddy." James implored.

"Sorry Scamp, but you two have got to get all settled and ready for dinner out. And that includes a bath.

"No baf Daddy! No baf." James whined.

Harry took a drink of the butterbeer he had pulled out before Teddy had asked him to play. He looked at Ginny. Her face wasn't quite as pale today, though her weight loss was obvious, making the small baby bump even more so. "How are you feeling?" he asked tentatively.

She shrugged, while she seemed to be handling things a bit better she was still standoffish, and quiet. "I don't think tonight is a good idea." She muttered.

He frowned slightly. "Gin, you are the one that accepted the invite. We can't cancel this close to the time."

"I don't think I can handle it." She admitted.

"I will take the boys and go, you can stay home and rest." He suggested.

"I don't want you to go alone." She replied.

"Gin, I think that by now I can handle the boys by myself. If I can't we have problems." He chuckled as he sat Albus down and the pair of them began to chase each other across the kitchen.

"Roar! I'm a dwagon Albie! WUN!" James yelled holding his hands out like claws.

"Yeeeeee Gagson! Gagson! Yun!." Albus screamed as he darted around the counter, both Harry and Ginny smiled at the boys' play.

"I didn't mean that. I know you can handle the boys. But…Harry I have been in the house almost exclusively for nearly 8 weeks, I have read the tabloids and the gossip column in the prophet."

His face heated up a bit with a blush, those rags never made him look good. "Gin, you know how they are, I know how they are." He muttered.

"I know, and they are already saying that we are having problems and that I am having an elicit affair. If you go out in public without me, with our kids, it is going to be much worse."

He sighed. "Gin, they all know, the whole family, you were at this month's dinner last week. It will be alright if you go, you might enjoy yourself" He said softly.

"I look terrible, and I can't wear a baggy shirt out in public to hide the amount of weight I have lost." She whined.

"You don't look terrible, and you are sick Gin, it isn't a big deal just to say that to them. Either way, they are going to speculate, they always do. That is your family and the papers." He said wisely. "You can stay here if you would rather. I can deal with bad press, your brothers and the kids."

She shook her head and headed up to their room to take a shower. Twenty minutes later Harry called Teddy in early so he could give the little boys a bath and so Teddy could clean himself up.

He was buttoning up James' jacket when Ginny came into the sitting room. His jaw dropped slightly before he recovered himself. She had fixed her hair so it waved down her back and she was wearing a pair of tight khakis with brown knee high boots and a white maternity shirt that tied in the back that he recognized from Al's pregnancy. He stood and walked over to her, pushing his hands nervously down the front of his dark jeans to smooth them. He placed his hand gently on her cheek and kissed her softly.

"You look incredible." He breathed.

She smiled and wiped the smudge from her lipstick off of his lips. "That color isn't so bad on you." She teased.

He smiled in response, it had been weeks since she teased with him. When his hand brushed the side of her bump she only stiffened slightly and didn't jerk away at all. He kissed her again, this time more firmly.

"Ungh…In the front room? Can you please not do that in front of us? You will scar us for life." Came Teddy's voice from the bottom of the stairs.

Ginny turned and smiled at their oldest son. "Look at you dressed like dad." She said with a smile.

Teddy was in fact dressed similar to Harry, something he was exceptionally excited about. Only their shirt colors differed. He had on a pair of nice jeans that were dark blue and a dark red button down that he was wearing un-tucked just like Harry did when they went out like this. He smiled and nodded before hugging Harry around the waist.

"Fix your hair little man, no blue hair at a muggle restaurant." Harry said as he fingered the bright turquoise spikes, they suddenly turned jet black. Teddy tilted his head back and smiled up at his father green eyes excited.

"Ted you didn't have to change your eyes too, just the hair." He said with a laugh as they all put coats on and Harry lifted Albus and James each into an arm.

Teddy shrugged and tied his shoe briefly. "I figured it would make more sense if I looked like the little boys. Brothers should look alike." He said without preamble.

0o0o0o0o0oo0o0

Harry tried not to notice Ginny shifting uncomfortably beside of him. She kept fidgeting nervously when anyone spoke to her. He had placed his hand on her chair back and scooted his chair closer, letting his hand drop and rest against her lower back. He leaned close to her ear while Bill and George discussed the shop, Angelina was messing with James and Freddie and the other three kids at the far end of the table while Fleur was making certain that Teddy and Vic had ordered something that they would actually eat. They had requested to sit at their own table today since they were 8 and 9 now, they were rather excited. Harry glanced at Al, who was eating his pasta happily, getting a fair bit of sauce into his hair during the process. He spoke quietly into Ginny's ear, her hair brushing his face in the process.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently.

She nodded in response, looking rather ill. She refused to look at the plate of food in front of her.

"Are you sure? We can go home, it isn't a problem at all Gin."

She shook her head fervently. "I think I just need to go to the loo." She stood and his hand slid across the side of her stomach, not stopping himself he leaned his head into her side, breathing deeply. She twined her hand in his thick hair.

"I'll come with you." He said, his voice muffled by her shirt and body.

"Harry, I'll be fine. I brought a potion with me" She assured him softly as she turned from the table.

He watched her walk away and turned back to his brother in laws. He wiped his hands over his face, trying to defuse the amount of worry and stress he was feeling.

"She looks really sick." George commented.

"She is. I don't know what to do."

"What does the healer have to say about it?" Bill asked.

"I dunno, we go in two days. She refused to go up until now."

"She is so stubborn." Bill muttered as Harry laughed slightly, remembering Ron's rant about Ginny two weeks before.

"You look like you are done in mate." George said sympathetically. Harry noticed out of his peripheral as Fleur headed the direction of the bathrooms. He sighed slightly in relief that Ginny wouldn't be in there alone.

"I feel it. I know I am not the one that is sick but watching her is killing me. It has gotten better somewhat. Her reaction over the pregnancy is a thousand times better. I don't know what Hermione said to her but I owe her my life. For a second I was scared that when the baby came she was going to make me choose between staying with her or keeping the baby." Harry admitted.

"She wouldn't have done that." Bill assured.

"I don't know, you didn't see her. She wanted nothing to do with him. Wouldn't even admit she was pregnant. Wouldn't speak to me. I didn't know what in the hell to do."

"Well let's all give thanks for Hermione then." George muttered into his glass of whiskey.

Harry felt something wet slap his face and both George and Bill burst into laughter. He looked over at a thoroughly sauce covered Albus who had a handful of dripping pasta in one hand and the other poised in the air. He looked at the shoulder of his light blue silk dress shirt and sighed heavily.

"Thanks for that little boy." He muttered as he stood and lifted the squirming, messy toddler into his arms.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Come on back, she wants you in here when we do the scan." Katie called from the door of the room Hermione was in.

"Er, she's decent right?" Harry asked nervously.

"Course she it, we finished with all that, she is all covered up. Come on before Ron wets himself waiting to find out."

Harry and Ginny made their way into the room, they had already discussed this, Ginny had wanted Hermione with her for the scan, mainly because she was terrified and whatever Hermione had said to her in the weeks before it had struck a chord with her. They decided that since this was definitely the final baby for either couple that they would do the scans together, that way each set of Godparents could say they had been there the first time they saw the baby. Ron was practically giddy, bouncing on his heels at the far side of the bed, fiddling with a strand of Hermione's hair. Ginny actually looked happy to be there as she took Hermione's hand and leaned her back against Harry's chest, he rested both of his hands on the front of her tummy. He smiled down at her, though he suspected that she was at ease because this wasn't her appointment yet.

They all watched silently as the sound of the galloping heartbeat filled the room and an image floated in the air over Hermione. Harry glanced at Ron whose eyes had gone misty and at Hermione who was openly crying.

"So are we finding out?" Katie asked as she moved her wand to a better position. Harry chuckled as the baby seemed to kick at the wand.

"Look, trying to be a keeper already." He said with a grin. Ron laughed and Hermione moaned.

"We are definitely finding out." Ron replied, excited.

"Well, alright, then in that case, let me introduce you to baby boy Weasley." She said with a smile. Ron whooped happily and Hermione cried harder. Harry beamed over at his two best friends before glancing back at the image that hung in the air. And rubbing his thumbs over Ginny's bump. Things calmed down in the room after many congratulations and Katie handed Ron and Hermione copies of the pictures she had replicated. She turned to Ginny.

"Alright you two, are we ready?"

Harry felt Ginny freeze in his arms and he could imagine how white her face had gone. He buried his face in the back of her hair, breathing in her scent, it always calmed him.

"You're ready love, and I am right here." He whispered.

She nodded and followed Katie out of the room and to the next room over.

"Alright, it has been some time since I saw you so I need you to get into the gown and we are going to do a full checkup, not just a scan alright. I will bring Ron and Hermione in right before the scan." Katie stated.

"Right." Ginny said hoarsely.

Katie looked meaningfully at Harry as she stepped out of the room, he had spoken to her a few days before, explaining why they hadn't been in and just what was going on with Ginny, emotionally and physically. He helped Ginny into the gown which was a bit more snug on her this visit than last and helped her onto the exam table before Katie came back in.

He could visibly see Ginny's hands shaking while Katie looked at the file and ran diagnostic spells over her.

"Everything looks really good Ginny. Besides the weight loss, which is only affecting you, the baby seems fine and strong. You are measuring a little more than 20 weeks. My main concern is you still seem a bit dehydrated. Are you still getting sick regularly?"

Ginny nodded.

"How often?"

"Usually once a day, but it can last up to an hour or two at a time."

"Right, well that would explain it. We are going to change your potion. I think your body is used to it. Hopefully it will stop the sickness and you will feel a lot better. Now let's see…" she glanced up from the chart. "You look terrified." She said looking at Ginny with something akin to sympathy on her face.

"Are you sure he is alright?"

Katie waved her wand and the heartbeat thumped through the room. "Sounds perfect to me." She said. Ginny breathed deeply. "Now tell me why I haven't seen you in almost ten weeks." She said seriously.

Ginny faltered for a moment before answering, worrying her lip between her teeth. Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I just, if I don't get attached, well if he is born early and we lose him it won't hurt as bad." She replied honestly, refusing to look at Harry.

Katie pursed her lips before speaking, the heartbeat thudding along with her speech. "Ginny, if I would have done the heartbeat and nothing was there, how do you think you would have reacted? Be honest."

"I would have cried." Ginny said quietly.

"Am I right to say that you would have been devastated?"

Ginny nodded, Harry bent down and kissed her cheek, kissing away a single tear drop.

"Right then, let's get your friends in here so we can finally see this baby that you already, very much love and adore." She said astutely as she walked out leaving them with the sound of the galloping heart.

A few moments later Ron and Hermione were by their sides, Ron holding Hermione's hand and gripping Harry's shoulder. Hermione's other hand was holding Ginny's. Harry was standing crouched at the head of the table, whispering into Ginny's ear and repeatedly kissing her hair, every once in a while he would wipe a stray tear away. She was shaking under his hands. It was quiet while Katie pulled up the image, Harry felt Ginny practically stop breathing under his hands.

"Well no modesty here at all." Katie chuckled shortly after the image appeared.

"He's alright?" Ginny breathed.

Katie shook her head. "Baby boy Weasley over there was just fine, as is Little Miss Potter here." She said with a grin.

"It's a girl?" Ginny said weekly, a smile encroaching on her face.

"It is a perfect, wiggly, completely immodest baby girl."

Harry felt lightheaded. He didn't know how to raise a girl. Ron nudged him slightly.

"You look a bit pale mate." He said with a grin.

"A girl?" he said quietly.

Katie chuckled, "Be prepared to be putty in her squishy little hands Harry."

Ginny giggled and Harry came round to her side, kissing her cheek.

"We are having a Lily." She said with a smile.

Harry's mouth dropped.

"Lily?" he muttered.

"Lily." She said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

He leaned his head down and let his cheek rest on her stomach, Ginny wound her hand into his hair, he watched the baby in the image flip and roll, she kicked and squirmed and suddenly he felt a nudge on his cheek, he smiled and spoke softly. "Hi Lily, I'm your daddy."


	3. Chapter 3: Losing A Buttock

**_I had a really hard time with a name for this chapter._**

**_It was between what it is and_**

**_The Adventures of Jamie and Albie_**

**_There is enough fluff in here to make a battalion of stuffed animals._**

**_Thank you for all reviews and for reading!_**

Chapter 3

**Losing A Buttock**

"Albus Severus Potter! Get your bum out of that right now!" Harry heard as he walked in the door.

"Nooo noo noo Mumm Mumm Mummm." His youngest son implored, Harry could practically see the stubborn set of his little jaw.

Fearing what he was about to find, Harry walked up the stairway and followed the voices and to his confusion a river of water into the boys bathroom where water was freely flowing from the tub and both sinks. Ginny was standing in the doorway trying not to slip and Albus was sitting on the toilet.

"What's going on in here?" Harry asked, bemused.

"I sat my wand on the sink and stepped out to get him a new pair of underpants." Ginny said wryly. "Everytime I try to get in there he manages to make the water flow harder and I am afraid to fall and hurt Lily."

"Understood." He said as he stepped to the side and pulled off his shoes, socks and trousers. He threw them all down the hallway away from the water. Apparently the flying clothing attracted the attention of James who poked his head out of his room and ran over.

"Daddy Daddy Daddy. You comed home!" He yelled with his arms up, unfortunately as he approached he tried to run through the fast flowing water and was swept off his feet and sent rapiding the opposite way down the hall.

Thinking quick Harry flicked his wand, flipping a dripping, squealing James upside down as Ginny bustled over to get him while Harry handled the younger of the two menaces. He heard James chattering excitedly behind him.

"Do it gain mummy, let's do it gain."

He chuckled and turned his attentions to the chaos that was the younger boys' shared bathroom.

"Al, what are you doing mate?" said as he stepped into the stream gently, refusing to be knocked off his feet by a two and a half year old.

"Daddeee Daddee! Wata do whhhhooooooshhhh!" He said excitedly, Ginny's wand flailing.

"Albie, can daddy see the wand?" he asked in his best simpering voice.

"No! No no no no no Albie wan Albie wan. No no no daddeee no." he declared, gripping the wand tighter, his bare legs swinging from the side of the toilet.

"Albus Severus." Harry said in a warning voice as he approached the toilet, he reached to hold onto the counter when a rush of water sent him toppling to his knees, water splashed up his shirt and into his face, to the delight and giggles of the bare bottomed two year old that was still obediently sitting on the loo.

His pride bruised worse than his knees he came back to a stand when he heard Ginny clear her throat from the side of the door.

"I'm sorry did you have advice?" he snapped, picking wet toilet paper from his legs.

She stifled her laughter as she tried to keep James out of the flowing water. "I just wanted to remind you that unlike me, you actually still have your wand daddy."

"Son of a bitch." He mumbled, pulling his wand from the quick release holster hidden in his sleeve. "Finite Incantum." He said.

The water came to a stop, leaving massive puddles everywhere. He lifted Albus from the toilet, and carried him into the hall.

"Albie go potty." He said proudly.

"Fanbloodytastic." Harry said sarcastically as Albus gleamed.

"Mummy?" came James' voice as he bounced in a particularly deep puddle. "Wha is son of a bish?"

0o0o0o0o0o

The house was eerily quiet when Hermione, Ginny and Teddy came through the front doors. The women had been shopping for baby clothes and furniture before having lunch and picking Teddy up from Dumbledore Academy. It should have been noisier, the silence was a bit nerve wracking as Harry was keeping both James and Al as well as Rose today.

As they walked further into the house the destruction became evident, there was flour feet print everywhere. The floor was splattered with them, handprints were on the walls, though they appeared to be chocolate rather than flour.

"What in the world do you imagine happened." Hermione muttered.

"The names James and Albus come to mind." Ginny said simply, following the trail to the kitchens.

The sight that met them was too cute for them to consider punishing the kids, not to mention they were all knocked out asleep. Albus and Rose lay curled together under the breakfast table each a sticky combination of chocolate and flour. James was sprawled across the counter on his belly, his hair standing straight up matted with goo, his arm wrapped around a syrup bottle like it was a teddy bear.

"I think we should try and find my husband." Ginny said wisely as she cast a protective bubble over James, so he wouldn't roll off the counter and Albus and Rose so they wouldn't wake up and cause more mayhem.

Hermione laughed, "The man can face the darkest wizard of all time at seventeen, but face him with two toddlers and a preschooler and all hell breaks loose."

"Uhm MUM!" came Teddy's cry from down the hall. "I think dad needs you."

When they made their way into the downstairs sitting room the two of them burst into fits of laughter. Harry was laying facing them on his side, his arms and legs snapped firmly together. Ginny tried to bite her lips as she released him from the body bind spell. Harder to contain was the laughter at the marker and makeup all over his face. He stood and cursed under his breath.

"Wand?" Ginny questioned.

He nodded, "I left it in its holster on the coat rack." He muttered darkly.

0o0o0o0o0o

A bang resounded through the house. Harry and Ginny both sat straight up out of a dead sleep, he glanced at his watch, 5:30 in the morning. Before they got a chance to rub the sleep from his eyes another boom sounded sending them both leaping from the bed.

"Is it an attack?" Harry said frantically as he searched his table for his wand.

"I don't- I don't- Harry I can't find my wand!" Ginny yelled panicked.

Harry stopped looking instantly and looked at their door that stood ajar. "Sodding Hell!" he said as he strode around the bed. "Mine's gone too, I think the boys are awake."

"Shite." she added as she followed him from the room.

They found James in Harry's office. The sound of one boom was immediately obvious, one bookshelf was lying flat on the floor, books everywhere, James was sitting on it coloring on the back of the wood with the wand, where he had mastered that skill Harry had no idea. He looked around at the destruction his walls had been scribbled on and they were flashing different colors. Realizing that Al wasn't anywhere in sight he began to try and see under the fallen shelf, panicked.

"Jamie where is your baby brother?" Ginny cried as she moved him and pulled Harry's wand from his hand. She threw it to him so Harry could levitate the shelf to check under it.

"Albie pway, he hidein." He said looking around the mess.

A banging knock resounded from his filing area and Harry's head swiveled towards the brown metal cabinet, he let the shelf fall back to the floor with another crash. He rushed to the cabinet and opened the bottom drawer. Albus was sitting on a pile of torn up files, holding Ginny's wand, chewing on a yellow folder, his hair alternately flashing with the walls. Harry sighed and picked him up.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, looking at his two year old son, not really expecting an answer as he tugged Ginny's wand from his fist.

James giggled, "Look mummy, Albie is 'tending to be Teddy! Him's hairw is changing colorws." He said in between giggles.

Ginny sighed and turned towards the door, Harry behind her with Al in his arms. Teddy was standing framed in the doorway, his mouth agape in shock at the

"Was I this much trouble?" he asked looking around at the scattered books and torn up papers.

Harry and Ginny met each other's eyes both of their memories hurtling backwards, when he learned to crawl, when he learned to walk, bumps and booboos, getting lost in the floo network, the hundreds of memory charms needed when he changed his appearance in muggle London, the temper tantrums, changing Dom's appearance with Harry's wand, hiding in random places in the house….it went on and on.

Harry looked at Teddy with a wry smile, "Not in the slightest." He said ruffling the turquoise hair.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was startlingly cold when February hit, Ron and Harry bustled into the manor, knowing that both of their wives had spent the day together here with the kids. They both pulled off their cloaks and hung them on the coat stand. They made their way into the house and walked towards the sounds of the kids' giggles. Ron smirked as Harry stuffed his wand into his back pocket.

"mate, what are you doing? What would Moody say if he saw the head of the Special Force Aurors sticking his wand in his back pocket?"

Harry paused in the hall before looking at Ron, speaking in the most serious voice he had, "Mate, I would rather lose both buttocks than let one of my minions get ahold of this wand."


	4. Chapter 4: Uncharted Territory

**_I fear that some of you are going to not like me after this chapter…_**

**_Sorry._**

**_I promise this story won't be all sad…I swear it…_**

**_Again...Don't hate me._**

**_I am not JKR._**

**_The quote is from _Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix_ chapter38_**

Chapter 4

**Uncharted Territory**

He was stunned. His feet refused to move from their spot. He looked over at Ron who was also holding a sobbing, 7 year old in his arms. Neither of them knew what to do. Ron looked to be in shock, both of them were beyond words, merely patting the backs or rubbing the straight blonde hair of the boys, not knowing how else to soothe them. Rolf stood in front of them, his face in his hands, talking to the emergency healer.

"It just came out of nowhere. We weren't even looking for them." He sobbed.

Harry glanced over at Xeno who was sitting as if immobilized in a chair down the hall. Arthur was knelt down, whispering words to him, his face stoic and unblinking.

"How did you manage to end up there?" the healer said. Harry wanted to hex him for being so callous.

"We have been sailing and searching since we got out of Hogwarts for different unknown species." He started.

"And you take two small boys with you on these expeditions?"

"We don't intentionally look for anything dangerous." Rolf insisted

"I fail to see how this is the point. I really don't think this is the time nor is it your place." Harry said in Rolf's defense. "Can you get back to your report instead of judging their lifestyle?" He scathed.

"Right…So how did you come upon the Isle Of Dreer then?" The healer asked quickly, stumbling through his words at Harry's glare.

"We were sailing, the island just appeared out of nowhere. It was just there. It wasn't on a map or anything. I thought nothing of it, so we got off the boat to stretch our legs. Lu-my wi- sh-she she was so excited, thinking we were about to discover all manner of new species on an uncharted island. We didn't realize it was Dreer. The quintaped came from out of nowhere. There were at least four of them. She yelled for me to grab the boys. I did. I just…I grabbed the boys, I thought she was right behind me. I should have stayed behind to help her, but, the boys…She said to grab the boys." tears poured from his face, his body wracked with sobs.

Harry felt like he was going to be sick. The little boy in his arms began to cry harder.

"Harry? Perhaps we should take them from here…They don't need to see or hear this." Ron said wisely.

"Rolf, do you want us to take the boys?" Harry asked kneeling beside his friend.

"I am afraid that the encroachment on the Isle of Dreer is against the law and as the head of your department you two need to be here to bring up charges." The healer said harshly. Harry had to fight back his urge to pull his wand once again.

"I am the head of the auror department. Harry is the head of the Elite Special Forces Unit. Two completely different branches of the MLE, unless you are suggesting that this involves dark magic activity, which it obviously does not, then Harry is not required to be here. Besides the point that it is up to me to decide on charges or not, not you." Ron said irritably.

Rolf looked up at Ron thankfully. "Can you just take them for a bit, I will come collect them tonight." He directed at Harry.

"Of course. I will take them to the manor, get them cleaned up and everything. We will feed them, you are all welcome to stay the night of course, I am sure Gin would feel better if she knew you were taken care of." He said as he placed Lorcan on his feet and took his hand, reaching for Lysander when Ron sat him down. "Come on boys, let's go on to see Teddy alright?" He lead them from the room to side long them to the manor.

He opened the door and could hear Molly trying to soothe both Ginny and Hermione in the downstairs sitting room.

"Gin! I have Lorcan and Lysander!" he called, hoping that the girls could pull themselves together a bit for the boys' sake.

Molly came bustling in, her eyes slightly puffy and her cheeks pink.

"Harry, we are so happy you are home." She said coming to take the coats from the boys. "Lorcan, Lysander I am so glad to see you today." She said in a falsely cheery voice. The boys just looked at her stone faced, a rarity for either of the boisterous duo. "Are the two of you hungry?" she asked kindly. They both shook their heads in the negative.

Harry glanced up as he heard sniffling, Ginny and Hermione made their way into the room. This stress couldn't be good for either of them, with only five and six weeks to go respectively, this was far too much for them to have to deal with. Both women were still crying softly and their tears picked up when they saw the twins that looked every bit of their mother, from their blonde hair to their silvery gray eyes. First Ginny and then Hermione knelt in front of the kids, each one pulling a boy into their arms. Harry listened as both boys let go of everything they had been feeling that day, hiccupping their sobs into the shoulders of his wife and sister.

The knot in his throat got tighter as he watched their little backs heave in despair and pent up fear. He couldn't imagine how scary today had to be for them. He knew what it felt like to be without a mother but this was much different, he was certain that it had to be worse for them, to watch their mother die like that, to almost die yourself, and to be old enough to understand. Or understand enough to grasp what was going on at least, he didn't understand so he was certain that they didn't. His thoughts drifted to Teddy who also knew what it was to miss your mum and dad, he knew that soon enough the boys would be upstairs with his eldest son. He touched each of their platinum heads.

"If you three can handle these two for a moment I am going to talk to Teddy." He said, his meaning falling silently on the ears of the three women.

"Of course son, we have them in hand." Molly replied, ushering him towards the stairs.

0o0o0o0

Luna's funeral had been harder in a way for Harry than any other he had attended. And he had been at several. While the deaths after the war had made some sort of morbid sense, they had all died for a reason, Luna's did not. There was no rhyme or reason, no greater purpose. It was a mere accident, being at the wrong place. That made it harder to come to terms with in his head. She had still died heroically, choosing to save her children over herself, just as Harry's own mum had done. She put herself in between the beasts and her boys. He felt a tear slip down his cheek. Ginny sat in the seat beside him, quietly crying into a handkerchief, Hermione sat on his other side, slumped against Ron.

The department had brought no charges, claiming it accidental discovery, leaving Rolf free to raise the boys. For now he had decided to stay with his own parents so they could help. He had enrolled Lysander and Lorcan into Dumbledore academy, they would start a week from Monday. Harry hoped it wasn't too soon for them. Over the last four days they seemed to have come to terms with things in their own unique ways. Lorcan was often spouting something far more poetic and deep about his mother and death than a seven year old should even come up with. Leaving the adults around him to stare at him in awe. While Lysander had turned quiet and withdrawn, he was rarely seen without a red streaked face and Rolf had told them that he had been having intense night terrors. Harry couldn't blame the poor kid.

After they all said their respects and stood by her graveside Harry was reminded of the eulogy Luna gave for Dobby. It brought a glimmer of tears to his eyes. He couldn't believe that after all this time he was watching another friend be buried. He heaved a sigh of sorrow as they walked away. The mid February sky seemed to clear of its dark ominous clouds, leaving a sparkling, stunning blue sky in their wake. The sun shined down on their raw, tear streaked faces. Harry took a deep breath suddenly remembering a conversation he had with Luna shortly after Sirius' death, she was telling him about losing her own mother, something he had not known about her.

_"Yes, it was rather horrible," said Luna conversationally. "I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I've still got Dad. And anyway, it's not as though I'll never see Mum again, is it?"_

_"Er - isn't it?" said Harry uncertainly._

_She shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn't you?_

_"You mean..."_

_"In that room with the archway. They were lurking just out of sight, that's all."_

He looked up into the blue expanse and whispered wryly, to quiet for anyone else to hear, "Just out of sight."


	5. Chapter 5: What's In A Name

**_I went ahead and updated to keep you all from being depressed for too long._**

**_Just a note, I switched away from metric measurements_**

**_I was reading back through my Pottermore stuff and it says that wizards don't use metric_**

**_So I switched and that is why :)_**

**_Just trying to keep it legit._**

**_Oh…and the reason Harry is head of Special Forces is b/c in this version he was never a normal auror._**

**_He went from developing the academy into the Elite force._**

**_Ron is head of the standard auror's (even though he helped create the Elite team with Harry)_**

**_Because he has been an auror since getting out of Hogwarts._**

**_Thank you for reviews!_**

**_I am not JKR. Not even close._**

Chapter 5

**What's In A Name**

Hermione was sitting in the arm chair watching Rose play happily on the floor with Albus. James and Freddie could be heard in James' room down the hall and Teddy and Roxxy were happily ensconced in whatever it was that they were doing in Teddy's room. Ron refused to let her stay home alone at this point, though as head Auror he couldn't take leave yet, Harry was having the same difficulty as head of the Special Forces Aurors. They had been especially diligent since Luna's passing, it seemed to amp up Harry and Ron's paranoia. How they thought her or Ginny was supposed to help the other she wasn't certain, but she assumed that was why Angelina had come over for the past week to sit with them. Hermione was miserable, she felt huge and she couldn't move without feeling like she couldn't breathe, then again, she was used to this. She watched sympathetically as Ginny waddled her way into the room, Angelina behind her carrying a tray of biscuits and tea.

"How are you doing this?" she whined.

Hermione laughed, she had two weeks left in her pregnancy. Ginny had three, while they were all beyond excited Ginny had made it to full term this was the first time she had done so, she was not familiar with the feeling at all.

"Just, try to remain sitting at all costs." Hermione said soothingly

"It feels like she is going to fall out and land on my feet. Or else she is going to come out and I will be sitting on her" She said, wiggling uncomfortably.

"I promise, without a lot of your help, she isn't coming out." Angelina said.

"How can you be certain? I have never been this pregnant before." Ginny argued.

"Because a lot of women have been this pregnant, and very few babies have just birthed themselves." Hermione said with a chuckle.

Ginny huffed in distress.

"So is everything done or is there more to do?" Angelina asked them both, trying to help Ginny think of something other than her discomfort.

"We are done, except for picking out a name that is. If we ever decide, and he quits going by baby brother, I will be sure to let you know." Hermione said sullenly to Ginny and Angie's chuckles

"We have been ready since 27 weeks, you know, just in case. Honestly, if Harry makes me buy anything else pink or purple I might just clobber him." Ginny muttered.

"I saw the room." Angelina chuckled, Hermione smiled.

"Give him a break, he grew up as a muggle, it is really sweet." Hermione said.

"You didn't turn Rose's room into a palace with a tower, a knight and unicorns on the wall." Ginny said shrewdly. "She is going to be the prissiest little girl in history."

"No, I turned Rose's room into a garden with bunnies, and butterflies and flowers."

"And gnomes, don't forget the gnomes." Angie added.

Hermione's eyes darkened, 'Ah yes, Ron's one piece of design, the bloody gnomes."

"Bwoody momes." chanted Albus from the floor.

"Byoody nomes." repeated Rose.

"Great. I blame Ronald." Hermione huffed.

"As do I, for almost everything." Ginny said, nodding her head in agreement as the three women laughed.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Well, Hermione should be glad that he is prompt. He is coming the day before his due date." George said as he settled into the now familiar waiting area of the maternity ward.

"He certainly doesn't take after Ron in that respect." Harry added as he flipped a page in the magazine. "Hey Gin did you know that you are having Dean's baby?" he asked in an offhand voice.

Ginny scowled. "Lovely, that is just lovely." She huffed as Molly and Arthur came through the door with Hermione's parents. Rose was swinging between her Grandfathers' hands.

"Where are all the kids?" Molly asked looking around. George and Harry were side by side. Angelina and Fleur were sitting with Ginny between them, now talking of her supposed affair with Dean Thomas. Percy and Audrey were both filling out documents on a sofa. "Did you all forget them or something?"

"Uncle Bill and Uncle Charlie have them." Angelina said with a quirk of her mouth.

"You left ALL of those kids with Bill and Charlie, one of which would do better with a dragon hatchling than a child…." Arthur said, trying to maintain a straight face.

"They were adamant that they would be fine, they wouldn't listen so, we left them." Ginny said simply.

"That is….I mean that is…" Molly said quickly adding up the kids in her head " eleven kids!"

"Ten. Rosie is with you." George said, stretching his arms over his head.

"Well Freddie and Jamie count double, throw in Al and you have the end of the world as we know it." Molly said, not entirely joking.

"I-I-I think I will go help them all out. I will take Rose with me since I doubt Hermione will want her climbing all over her today." Arthur said lifting the little girl into his arms. He turned to Mr. Granger. "This will likely take a while, would you like to join me?"

The other man laughed, "Eleven kids? Not on my life." He said before kissing his granddaughter goodbye.

Arthur was right, while Hermione had gone into labor early in the morning the day before her due date, it was 10 at night before Ron came back through the doors, looking exhausted. He sat in the chair and threw his head back against the wall.

"9 lbs 6 oz. 21 inches long. Hermione is bloody incredible, though she isn't too thrilled with me right now." He said tiredly. "Boys are much more hesitant to come out than girls it seems." He said, thinking back to Rose being born at home, faster than he was ready for.

"Speak for yourself." Ginny muttered with a smile, her hand on her ever-expanding waistline.

"Parents, you can all go ahead in, I am going to grab a drink and then I will come back in with the Godparents if you'll let her know for me." He said, pointing towards the door.

"Of course, darling. Harry will you call Arthur for me? I know he will want to see the baby." Molly said as she bent and kissed Ron's head.

Harry nodded and left with Ron to head to the tea room, it was open late for Maternity patients and family. They stopped and Harry paid to use the floo for a fire call, moments later Arthur stepped through, looking a bit worse for wear.

"How were they?" Harry asked.

"If I doubted Molly and I stopping after Ginny was born, I don't anymore and I never will again." He said fervently, causing Harry to laugh.

"That bad?"

"It was a nightmare when I got there. I set the manor to rights once we got them in bed. Only Victoire and Teddy are still up and they were just laying on the floor talking about going to Hogwarts when I left. You may as well leave them all, if they wake up you are done for. Charlie and Bill are asleep on the sofa. I am pretty certain if Charlie was debating having a child he has made his mind up after tonight."

Ron chuckled at the thought of his elder brothers. "What made them think they could handle that?"

"Merlin only knows. They certainly know better now though." He said shaking his head while he dusted the soot from his cloak. "Congratulations son." He added, hugging Ron.

"Thank you, you can go on in when you get down there. Tell Hermione we will switch in 20 minutes or so."

Arthur nodded and headed down the stairwell.

"So, how is she?" Harry asked as they made their way into the larger room with sporadic tables.

"She is tired, completely done in. He was almost ten pounds! She will never trust me again."

Harry laughed. "I am sure after a few months." He tried.

"No, she won't. I wouldn't. Blimey ten pounds. Can you imagine?"

"I don't even want to try." Harry said with a grimace. "Did you come up with a name?"

Ron laughed, "Not even close. She is stuck on Brantley. Brantley! Doesn't even sound Weasley at all."

"It isn't a terrible name." Harry said gently.

"It isn't a good one though." Ron huffed.

"It is too, you are being stubborn."

"You would know." Ron mumbled, taking a bite of sandwich, he made a face, "Ungh I hate corned beef." He gagged as he took another bite. "Gin looks good." He said simply.

Harry nodded. "She does, I think she is worn out but otherwise she is doing great. I think I am as shocked as her for her to be at 39 weeks, especially after all the stress of the last few weeks."

"I am glad she made it this far, she was so stressed and worried, though, I think she may be ready now to be done with it."

"She is. She is having Katie do the permanent contraceptive charm on her after the birth. She meant to have it done after Albus but things were so hectic with him coming early that we didn't think about it and then we just figured we'd do the temporary charm and well you see how well that worked for us."

"Luckily for Lily it didn't work at all. Come on, let's get down to my lovely wife. She may be ready to look at my face again."

"We can only hope."

0o0o0o0o0o

"We are not naming him that." Ron growled as Ginny cooed at her nephew.

"It is sweet." Hermione said.

"It is ridiculous." Ron argued

"Make it a middle name." said Harry, ever the diplomat between the two.

"Well he can't be Baby Brother Brantley Weasley." Hermione said with a scowl. They were going home today and were no closer to naming the flame haired little boy.

"Name him Sean." Ginny suggested.

Ron and Hermione looked at her like she was crazy.

"Tyler." Harry said, they both shook their heads.

"Michael." Hermione spouted.

"Ewe no that is my ex." Ginny grumbled.

"Well then, not Dean, not only is he her ex but she is having his baby supposedly." Harry muttered much to Ginny's chagrin.

"Kieran." spouted Ron.

"Kieran Brantley does not sound good together." Hermione stated.

"Then take away Brantley." Ron muttered.

"Chase."

"Harry." Harry joked, getting chuckles from around the room. "Well I thought it was brilliant." He said under his breath.

"Ronald." Ron said brightly.

Hermione sighed, "We discussed this already."

He eyed her murderously. "I know." He grumbled.

"Ritchie." Came Hermione.

"No." voiced the other three.

"Hugh." Ron said.

"I am not naming him after a muggle movie star." Hermione griped.

"He's a movie star?" Ron directed to Harry who laughed and shrugged.

"It is cute though!" Ginny chirped. "Hugh Brantley Weasley. It has a bit of a ring to it."

"No, I am not doing it."

"Fine." Ron scowled. "What about something close to that?" he asked.

"Like Hubert?" Harry said sticking his tongue out in distaste.

"No!" said Ron, Hermione and Ginny all at once.

"I was thinking more like Hugo." Ron clarified.

Hermione smiled a bit. "Hugo Brantley Weasley….I like that." She said as Ginny handed her the baby. "Is that your name?" she crooned.

Ron grinned and kissed her head before touching the Hugo's little nose "Hi Hugo. Your job is to come tell on your mummy if she starts trying to sneak and call you Brantley."

Harry snorted in laughter at his best friend.

"Go ahead and laugh, you two have it all figured out. We know she is a Lily, tell us, what is her middle name then? Last I heard you two were at odds about it." Ron said as Hugo grasped his middle finger.

Ginny looked up teary eyed. "Lily Luna Potter. That is her name."


	6. Chapter 6: With Whom The Blame Lies

**_Sorry this took so long,_**

**_There was an unexpected death in the family,_**

**_I had to drop everything and make a ten hour drive to Kentucky._**

**_Sorry for the wait, I will make it up I promise._**

**_Thank you for reading and for reviewing _**

Chapter 6

**With Whom The Blame Lies**

Parker and James were jumping in a circle around James' jumping football, a toy Harry had charmed and thought of himself, each one trying to kick it into the goal on the other side of the room. Teddy was reading a story to Albus in the big chair, they were both watching the pictures pop off the page and act out the scene in awe, it was the newest product from the Weasley's Little Weezes line in the shop.

"How has he been lately?" Ginny asked as she watched Parker bounce up and down as he made a goal.

"He is wonderful, couldn't be better, his caregiver however, I think he is driving her mad. He has to go, I mean to say we both work lucrative jobs he has to go to a child care center." Cora said, obviously distressed about it. "It isn't that he is intentionally misbehaving." She affirmed, as if they would think he was a naughty child.

"Of course it isn't." Ginny soothed. "He is doing accidental magic isn't he?"

Dudley nodded and chuckled, "it isn't funny, it really isn't but well. It was time for a kip and he wasn't having it, his little cot thing disappeared in front of her. Then that same week they served steak and kidney pie for lunch, he doesn't like that meal at all, he exploded it in the caregiver's face. I don't even know what to do about it. I am afraid the poor woman thinks she is losing her mind. At least it is only 3 days a week."

Harry glanced over at the blonde headed little boy, he was flung over the magically bouncing ball, letting it bounce him in the air, cackling like mad. "What about Mrs. Figg, she is a squib you know, she would understand." He suggested.

"I don't want him that close to my parent's house. Mum would realize he wasn't in the center anymore and insist on being the one to keep him, I don't want them to know until he is old enough to understand and can stand up for himself, you know, blow them up like you did Marge or something." He said with a grin.

"If you think he can hold out at his center until the baby is at least a couple of weeks old I would be glad for him to stay here, you said it is only three days a week as it is. He can't add that much more chaos to this brood. Godric knows he might keep James occupied so he and Albie don't fight." Offered Ginny.

"We couldn't do that." Cora replied.

"Why not? You have a magical son…I am sure Hermione could link your fire to the floo network. I could pick him up in the mornings before I leave for the ministry." Harry said with a shrug.

"We couldn't take advantage." Dudley insisted.

"It really wouldn't be taking advantage at all. Most days one or more of my sister in laws is here, and their kids come along with them, he will have so much fun being around magic. It will help him see that he is normal, it will prepare him for the academy. I do lessons with Jamie on basics from nine until noon, Parker will fit right in, some days Freddie is here as well, though I can't promise that he and James as a pair will be a good influence on Parker."

"Well, it is three days till she is due right? Why don't we just have him start coming over here when Lily is 5 weeks old. That should be a good adjustment for everyone, it will give you time to contact your nursery and Gin time to get used to the baby."

The two couples and four kids talked and played until dinner was ready. Harry didn't miss his wife shifting uncomfortably in her seat, nor the fact that she just moved her food around her plate rather than eating it. He said nothing while Dudley and Cora were there, contenting himself until after their company was gone and the boys were bathed and in bed.

He walked into their room and pulled his shirt off, throwing it onto the floor in front of the hamper.

"You couldn't have put it in the hamper?" she huffed.

"I didn't know the lid was on. It bounced off." He explained as he looked over at her.

She was bent over the side of their bed, her cheek pressed into the bedding. She hadn't done the bedtime routines tonight, leaving Harry to settle three boys into bed alone. He sighed, the discomfort was plain on her face and in the set of her shoulders. He approached her and kneaded his fingers into her lower back, she whimpered in response.

"Any day love." He said softly.

"This is all your fault." She mumbled into the thick blanket.

"Good to know." He chuckled, knowing that now was not the time to argue.

"I am glad that you agree." She said.

"I didn't say I agree. I said it was good to know." He clarified as his worked his hands up to her neck.

"What do you mean you don't agree? I lay the blame entirely on you" she moaned stubbornly

"Yes, and I blame Sirius." He said firmly to her laughter.

0o0o0o0o

"She is late! This is all your fault!" Ginny cried, much to the entire family's amusement.

Harry sighed and held out his hand helping her to stand after the family meal.

"I am aware." Harry replied with a sigh. Ginny was a week overdue, she was not happy with him in the slightest.

"I would just like to point out that Harry and both of the boys were born early…You are the one that gave mum a time getting here." Bill said with a smirk. For which he received a death glare from his little sister.

"Erm…No no I think she is right, you should just blame Harry for this." George muttered as Harry and Ron both laughed. Ginny huffed and made her way into the sitting room to gather the boys.

"How are Hermione and Hugo?" Harry asked as he watched Teddy quickly get up and try to help Ginny wrangle Albus and James into jackets.

"They are great, I was going to stay home with them, but she insisted that Rosie needed to get out of the house and that she needed a break. I guess she was going to put Hugo to sleep and take a nap herself. Rosie isn't big on naptime anymore so apparently we are doing her a favor by being gone." Ron replied before he stepped in and grabbed up James while Harry caught Albus and they zipped them into place in his little red windbreaker.

0o0o0o

"Gin, love, I think you need to let me take you to St. Mungo's" he said, his eyes betraying his concern.

"No, I am not going to be sent home with them saying it is a false alarm." She said stubbornly.

"Gin, your due date was two weeks ago, you are having contractions every 5-7 minutes, I don't think Katie will let them send you home at this point."

"I am not going." She argued as she sat down on the sofa.

"I am calling mum." He huffed.

"She won't make me go." She called as he reached the door.

"No, I will make you go. She is staying with the boys." He said firmly, disappearing around the corner.

It was only a few minutes before Molly arrived, arguing with Harry. "Hey darling. Harry says you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"They are just going to send me back home again." Ginny grumbled.

"What if, I stay here, watch the boys, make dinner for you, and Harry and you can go walk drive and down the street for a few minutes, eat dinner, take a shower and if after all that, you are still having contractions, you will go in." Molly said with a knowing smile, pushing the hair from her daughter's strained face.

Ginny nodded, and Harry shrugged reluctantly. He gathered their jackets and escorted his overly pregnant wife out the front door. The silence as they walked did wonders for them both. Just as Harry visibly saw Ginny's shoulders relax he felt his own lose tension. He hadn't even realized he was tense.

"How are you?" he asked as he reached his hand out and placed it on her back.

"Tired…Really, really tired." She said honestly.

"Hmmm. Somehow I think we are going to be tired for the next several years, at the very least until Jamie goes away to Hogwarts." He said with a wink.

"He won't be gone long, I give him and Fred a month before they blow up the damn school." She mumbled darkly, making Harry laugh.

"Well, you are going to be the mummy of a little girl soon, does it feel different?"

"Yes, it feels like she is never going to come." She said. "Stubborn little thing."

"Well she gets it honestly." He said with a grin as she smacked his arm.

"I just want her to come already, it's the on-oh-oh." She said gripping her stomach, as her jeans steadily became wetter and wetter.

Harry smiled hugely, "It's time?"

She panted and nodded her head.

He took her hand and led her back towards the house to get their things, "Well come on, let's go meet Lily!"


	7. Chapter 7: Princess Potter and

**_I just reread all of Not Marriage Material,_**

**_I forgot how much I liked it and enjoyed writing it._**

**_So here's a question for the avid readers…._**

**_Does anyone remember what I did with Kreature?_**

**_For the life of me I can't remember and I can't find it anywhere :/_**

**_If you know, or find it..Uhm can you let me know lol?_**

**_I am not JKR, obviously as I lose track of my characters lol._**

Chapter 7

**Princess Potter and Potty Mouths**

_Today marks the one week birthday of the daddy dubbed "Princess Potter." We have been given the prestigious honor of announcing the birth of the first ever, blood born, Potter girl. _

_Harry and Ginny Potter (nee Weasley) brought their perfect bundle of pink home three days after her birth, where she joined her three older brothers, Teddy, James and Albus. We are delighted to say the one week old charmer came into the world boasting a shock of scarlet hair to match both her namesake, her grandmother Weasley and her very own mum._

_Friend, Uncle, and godfather, Ron Weasley is quoted to saying the day after her birth, "Harry is ridiculously done for already. He will never win another battle of wills against this one. She already has her daddy wrapped so firmly around her tiny little finger that he is unlikely ever to find her way off."_

_The newest and affirmed final addition for the couple is reported to be healthy and happy. Both Mum and baby are doing well. _

_ Unlike their usual rapport of no pictures being released, we are happy to share the first photo of Little Miss Lily Luna Potter. We all look forward to catching more glimpses of both the rambunctious trio of boys and Princess Potter, the missing and final piece of The Chosen Family._

Harry rolled his eyes at the name that was bestowed upon his family. He and Ginny had decided that in order to avoid the normal chaos in coming home, they would release the story to the Daily Prophet. They were also hoping it would dissuade the rumors of Lily being Ginny and Dean's love child. He looked at the half a page sized, full color picture of his beautiful little girl, her hair flaming wisps around her face with her fingers in her rosebud mouth. He looked down at his very own live version of the picture and smiled.

The paper came out yesterday morning, right now Ginny was napping, Albus tucked tightly against her side. James was playing, quietly for once, in the corner of the room with his dragons and Teddy was at the academy. These were the moments that had caught him by complete surprise this last week. The quiet ones, the moments where it was just her and him. Ron was right, he would forever be under this little witch's spell. There was no cure. She was, in his completely biased opinion, the prettiest little girl he had ever seen. She had her mum's hair color, that was for sure, and her lips. Ginny swore she had Harry's nose and eyes, of course they were still the nondescript blue of a newborn but she already had impossibly long eyelashes for a baby.

She was a lot like James, she didn't like to sleep, she certainly wasn't quiet. But she differed from both boys in that they were still known to be clingy with their mummy, Lily was happiest and quietest in her daddy's arms. Monday was Harry's first day back to work and he was honestly a bit worried about what Gin was going to do. Albus was not reacting to having a new baby well, he barely left Ginny's side, every time she nursed Lily he tried to climb into her lap. He wanted nothing to do with his daddy, he had even reverted to trying to sleep in their bed with them. Then there was Jamie, he was not impressed with the new "Potter Princess" and had resumed his normal hyper, bouncing self immediately. Teddy was initially enamored with the little girl but his interest quickly faded when he remembered that all new babies do is sleep cry and make terrible smells. Upon remembering he decided to spend most of his time at home cloistered in his room or "clubhouse", or else begging to go flying.

"Daddy, Lily baby wants to go to night night." James said as he walked over holding two dragons.

"She just woke up." Harry said with a chuckle.

"No, her telled me. Her wants you to pway dwagons wif me an her wants to go nigh nigh."

Harry looked at the red and green battered dragons that his four year old was holding. He glanced down at the content baby girl on his lap.

"What if Lilikins plays with us?" Harry asked adjusting the baby so she was laying in one arm.

"No." James said, stomping his foot.

"I bet she will like dragons." Harry persisted.

"NO!"

"But Jamie, you can teach her just how to play. I know she loves to play with her daddy and big brother." He soothed, putting his free hand onto James' messy head.

"No! You're my daddy." James said stubbornly.

Harry tried to stop the laugh that bubbled to his lips, he had never really seen James' jealous side. He was so young when Al was born that he had accepted the baby without question for the most part. He had never outright refused him.

"But I am her daddy too."

"No, my daddy."

"Yes I am your daddy, and Teddy's daddy, and Albie's daddy, and now I am Lily's daddy too." Harry explained.

"NO! Just Jamie, Daddy and Jamie. Nobody else, just me. " James said stubbornly.

"What if right now we play with Lily, and later, when mummy gets up, she can play with Lily and you can come with me to do the shopping." He bartered.

"Just Jamie and daddy?"

"Just me and you scamp." He promised.

"Don't let her get it in her mowf." James replied, shaking his hair out of his eyes and pushing the green dragon towards the baby, it was nearly bigger than she was.

"I won't let her chew on it I promise."

James nodded and began to make his red dragon fly about the room. Jumping over the ottoman and crawling under the coffee table, roaring the whole way.

"Hers not doin it right." He whined, looking at Lily who was simply staring at the green plush toy that was laying on top of her.

"She doesn't know how to play yet."

James huffed and drug himself back over and picked up the raggedy green dragon. "Lily, vis is swiverin, him is the bad dwagon. You has to make him blow fire and gwowl. Like vis" he demonstrated by growling and snarling, and getting a copious amount of spit all over Harry's arm.

"Slytherin huh?" Harry asked, bemused, as he wiped his arm on his jeans.

"Ungh huh, Swiverin is bad, and vis is Gwyf. Hims the good dwagon." He said holding up the battered red one.

"Gryf? As in Gryffindor?"

"Yes daddy." He replied, irritation evident, apparently he should have known this already.

"Why is Slytherin bad?" Harry said curiously.

"Cuz, him is." James shrugged.

"Who told you about Slytherin? And how did you know they like green?"

"Uncle Won and Uncle Geowge, dey said no gween, gween is for mean bad Swiverines. I don't like mean bad Swiverines."

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Ginny's voice came from the entrance to the room.

"You can thank your brothers for that." Harry said with a grin as he turned towards his wife.

She was holding Albus on her hip, he was sucking his thumb and twirling her hair.

"Do you even know what a Slytherin is?" she asked her older son as she sat on the chair opposite him, positioning Albus on her lap.

"Yup, mean and bad." James said with a firm nod as he took the green dragon from Lily and handed him to Albus. "And, them suck mewlins left tesicle at Qwiddish." He said innocently as if that settled it.

Both Harry and Ginny's mouths dropped as they looked at their small son. "I will kill them." Ginny growled as Harry tried his hardest to contain his laughter. "James Sirius you are not allowed to say that, it is a naughty word."

"Like shit?" he asked calmly, to which Harry had to stand and walk out of the room with Lily to refrain from laughing in front of his son.

"Yes, like that. You don't say either of them anymore."

"Jamie no say shit and no say Swiverin!" he declared nodding his head, Ginny heard Harry laugh loudly from the other room.

She shook her head and shouted over the laughter from the hall, as she took James' hand. "Daddy! You are not helping here!"

0o0o0o0o0o

"Hey Princess, oh what a big yawn." Ginny said with a smile as she lifted the small little girl into her hands.

She was so much bigger than Albus or even James were at this age, it was hard to believe she was only a little more than two months old. She found it difficult to remember or fathom life without her. The little eyes blinked sleepily back up at her before gazing at the scene around her. Today had been the first morning she had woke in her own room. And what an elaborate room it was. Harry had spared no frilliness at all. The walls were painted pale pink and purple as if the sun was rising on one wall and setting on the other. A far off tower appeared to loom in the distance and a white unicorn trotted around the walls. Standing with their backs to the room was a dark headed knight who held his visor in his hand, holding his outstretched hand to a very young, red headed princess, she came to the knights waist. Above their heads, written in script were the words _My knight has come, his name is Daddy." _

She smiled at the girly walls, shaking her head as she put the baby into an equally frilly purple romper set. As ridiculous as she found the idea of a princess and the fairytales that Harry had convinced her to read while pregnant, honestly what kind of girl just sits around waiting to be saved, the thought of her husband's weak spot where their daughter was concerned brought her great joy. She had always loved her father, she remembered wanting to grow up and marry him one day. She loved that Harry was already besotted with their fiery little bundle. As the baby had attained a few more weeks in age she cried a bit less, though when she wanted something, watch out. She had Ginny's temper, no doubt. Though, Ginny could recall hearing Harry yelling at Ron and Hermione over one summer at Grimmald place quite clearly.

"Mum, are you going to come to class today? Since it is the final day?" she heard Teddy ask as he stepped into the room.

She smiled as he fidgeted with his uniform tie. "I sure am. Your grandmum is going to watch the babies for me, did you want me to bring Jamie or leave him behind?" she asked as she laid Lily back in her cot so she could help situate her now 10 year old son with his tie, he had yet to get the hang of them.

"Bring him along. You know how happy he gets when he comes the academy. Besides, next year there won't be an end of term family party, only the graduation ceremony." He said with a shrug.

Ginny felt her eyes mist up, next year would be Teddy's last year at the academy, he would be going to Hogwarts after that.

"How did you get so big on me Teddybear?" she asked, pulling him into a hug.

"It happens I guess." He said with a grin so reminiscent of Remus that it nearly took her breath. It was moments like these that she truly felt as if she had stolen something from them by raising their son.

"Well finish up, we have to drop off Lily and Al at the burrow before heading off." She said, swatting at his backside before picking Lily back up and heading towards Al's room, deciding to get the lesser of two evils ready first.


	8. Chapter 8: Everyday Living

_**If anyone is interested I posted the Sirius AU story.**_

_**It is called A Godfather's Gift: A Second Chance.**_

_**This chapter is pretty much what the title says.**_

_**I am not JKR**_

Chapter 8

**Everyday Living**

A loud cry echoed through the upper floor of the house, Harry went running into the sitting room where he had left Lily in her bouncy seat while he had cleaned up Ginny's lotion off of the floor. Albus had used it as paint in the hallway. It took him only moments to realize that his two year old was no longer sitting behind him, meaning he had been scolding the walls rather than the child.

Upon entering the room he wasn't sure whether to be touched or angry at the toddler. He was sitting on the floor and had managed to get the baby from her strapped in position in the seat and into his lap.

"Albie you know you aren't allowed to hold Lily without asking." Harry said in an exasperated voice. Ginny had gone with Angelina and Hermione to a muggle spa for the afternoon and James had opted to spend the weekend with Teddy at Andromeda's house, leaving Harry with two youngest members of his brood.

"Awwweeee baaabbeeee" Albus said leaning down and placing a very wet kiss on his baby sister's cheek.

It could be worse, he could profess to dislike her, as James had done only a few days before.

"Yes baby. She is your little sister. It is your job to make her laugh, and protect her, but not to take her from her seat." He said, sitting on the floor beside the pair. He placed his hand under Lily's head, supporting it better.

"Awe baaabbbbeee." He poked at her cheek and then her eye. "Baaabbbeeee EYE!" he said enthusiastically.

Harry quickly grabbed his chubby hand. "Yes, she has eyes too, don't poke them out." He said.

"Abie eye." He said poking his own eye.

"I see your eye."

"Dadddeee EYE!" and he jammed Harry's glasses into his face.

"Ouch. Yes, we all have eyes, enough with the eyes." he grumbled as he pulled his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose with his empty hand. Suddenly a sharp finger stabbed right into his eye. He grabbed the hand in his and squinted his eyes looking into his son's identical pair. "Yes Albus, I have an eye. No more eyes." he said firmly, releasing his son's hand. Immediately his mouth was quite full.

"Mouf." Albus declared with pride.

"Yef..Mouf." Harry said around the fingers that had intruded his mouth.

"No Daddeee, yike vis, mouf." He chided, with the air of patience when Ginny tried to correct the boys' pronunciation.

He pulled the fingers from his mouth and sighed. "Oh, excuse me. What I meant to say was, mouth."

"Yesh, mouf." Albus said, his eyes sparkling.

"Come on little boy, let's go see if there are some biscuits in the kitchen." Harry said taking Lily from where she lay on Albus' lap.

"Mmmmmm! Bicsus!" Albus yelled as he ran for the door, hands in the air.

That afternoon Harry sat on the swing in the garden, watching Albus romp through the grass and occasionally get on his little broomstick, or chase a live action flying dragon around. Lily was sleeping on his chest contentedly, the day really hadn't been all that bad, it was much less chaotic than a day spent alone with James and Albus. That was certain.

"Hiya love, I searched all over the house before finding you back here." came Ginny's voice.

He glanced over to see her walking closer, before quickly turning his attention back to their youngest son. "Al needed some fresh air, I think he was feeling cooped up."

"They do like to play outside." She replied lazily. He smiled as she sat beside him and lay her head on his shoulder. "How was your day?"

"Overall it was great, we played, Al held Lily, we had lunch and lots of biscuits…Lily had her first lesson in body parts." He mused as he wrapped his free arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Ah, Albie is very into facial features right now, as he has actually learned to say them mostly right."

"So I have discovered. Apparently my pronunciation of the word mouth is all wrong when I am forced to say it with his hand holding down my tongue."

Ginny giggled in response, watching Albus run over, just now noticing her presence.

"Muuummmmeeee!" he squealed, leaping into her lap.

"Hey baby boy." She cooed as she kissed his cheek and pressed her face into his hair. "Your hair is sticky and smells of strawberries."

"Ice Cweam!" Albus said, his face the picture of honesty.

"See, this is why daddy doesn't get to be alone with you, biscuits and ice cream? All before three in the afternoon?" she said, looking at Harry disparagingly. He shrugged and gave a coy grin in response.

"And cocolate cocolate cocolate cocolate." Albus chanted before running off into the grass.

"Traitor." Harry called out after him.

Ginny laughed, "And you wonder why he needed to run?"

"Oh I didn't wonder at all, I was just keeping that part to myself." He said, looking down as Lily had begun to wiggle. "Here you go mum, I think she missed you today. She is none too fond of a bottle."

Ginny took the baby and looked around sadly. Understanding instantly, Harry conjured a thin receiving blanket and handed it to her.

"We are pretty secluded Gin, I see no reason for you to go inside. Just sit out here with Al and I. It's just us." he said before kissing her cheek and smiling at the baby who was already rooting around in her mum's shirt. Ginny shrugged and threw the blanket over herself and the baby.

0o0o0o0o

"My dad is sooo much better." Ginny hear Teddy say from the quidditch pitch.

"No way, my dad plays professionally." Ollie argued.

"My dad just didn't want to play professionally. He was the youngest house player in a century. He still holds the record." She saw Teddy's hair flash red.

"So then you don't know if he is better or not. Beside my dad was your dad's captain." Oliver said firmly.

"Yeah, well my mum did play in the show and she kicked your dad's bum all over the pitch when she played." Teddy declared, his hair now blue with red tips, a sure sign of anger.

She chose then to step in, before a full scale riot broke out.

"Hi boys, what are all the raised voices about?" she asked, looking over briefly to see that James Al and Parker were still playing nicely together.

"Ollie says that his dad is a better quidditch player than dad or you even." Teddy said, disbelief in his tone.

"He is." Ollie said with a shrug.

"Well now there is no reason to argue over that, you can't even know for certain. None of us play the same position at all. Oliver is a keeper, something me nor Harry can do well at all. Harry is a seeker and I am a chaser, all different, and we are all very good in our respective places."

"You are a seeker too." Teddy said with pride.

"I guess you could say that I am." She said with a shrug.

"Are you better than dad?" he asked.

Ginny grinned widely, "At absolutely everything." She said mischievously. "But don't you dare tell him that I said that."

Both boys laughed raucously as she walked off, adjusting the baby in her arms.

0o0o0o0o

The summer heat had amped up over the past few weeks. July was upon them and Ollie was spending several days a week with Teddy, both of them were missing their friends terribly.

"And Parker swoops left, he dodges the bludger, and he scores!" Teddy could be heard yelling from the pitch.

"YAY!" Albus cried, she could see him bouncing around on the ground, holding the speed modified snitch.

Both James and Parker were on their child's firebolt swooping, Teddy and Ollie were playing a very slow game of quidditch with them, each riding a nimbus that Harry had limited the speeds on.

"Me me me! It's my turn to throw it!" James yelled.

Teddy immediately obliged by tossing the quaffle towards his little brother. To Ginny's surprise he caught it instantly, even managing to swoop for it a bit and take his hands from the broom. Teddy and Oliver looked at him wide eyed.

"Merlin Jamie, that was a good catch!" Teddy said, astonished.

"Really, that was brilliant. Are you sure you are only four?" Ollie said, only partly joking.

"I'm four!" James cried before flying off with the dark red ball, pursued by all three of the other boys and Al who was running on the ground below them.

Ginny sat Lily down on the blanket with a soother and a toy before sitting beside her, adjusting her purple sundress.

"Albie, you are going to get kicked in the head. Come over here." She called as Parker's foot came extremely close.

"I pway, I fwy." He insisted.

"You are not big enough to fly with Teddy and Ollie, you aren't old enough for quidditch." She said firmly.

"Nitch!" he said, stomping his foot and holding out the slightly struggling snitch.

"I see it, did Teddy give you the snitch?" she asked, looking over his head as James dropped the quaffle and Oliver swooped to pick it up.

"Get the nitch." He said as he let it go and it fluttered off a bit faster than a passing butterfly. Albus chased after it and had it back in his hands in just a second. Ginny smiled at him.

"Are you going to grow up and be a seeker like daddy?" she asked.

"hhhmmm nitch." He said before releasing it and running off after it again. She winced as Teddy just barely caught his foot before it made contact with Al's head.

O0o0o0o

"Your son caught a quaffle out of midair today while riding a broomstick." Ginny said while pulling her sun dress over her head and throwing it in the direction of the basket. She wasn't sure if her statement or nudity had been what caught Harry's attention.

"Teddy has been catching quaffles while flying since he was 8 at least." Harry said, distracted with looking at his wife.

"Yes, but today was James' first time, and he only four." She qualified, with a glint in her eye as he made his way over to her and threw his own shirt on top of her dress.

"James? Wait Jamie caught a quaffle? While on a broom?" he gaped.

Ginny nodded and smiled. "He even had to take his hands off the broom, and he was a good three feet in the air. I have to say, I was impressed, as were Teddy and Ollie."

"But he is only four." Harry argued.

"You're telling me. But I have another one, you need to increase the speed on that snitch you altered, Albus got bored of catching it after an hour, it became too easy. Granted he was running after it on the ground, but still."

"They are going to be better at quidditch than me huh?" he said sadly.

"Mmmm it's entirely possible." She said, grabbing neck and pulling him to her. "But I can think of something that ONLY you can do."

"I like the sounds of that Mrs. Potter." He murmured against her collar bone.

"As you should." She replied as she drug him into the bathroom and turned on the shower.


	9. Chapter 9:Of Tents Trees and Beater's

**_Some more fluffy daily stuff_**

Chapter Nine

**Of Tents, Trees and Beater's bats.**

"Mum Jamie won't get out of my room!" Teddy yelled.

"Mummy, Teddy and Vic won't play wif me." James cried.

"Auntie Ginny Dom won't leave us be!" Victoire called a few minutes later.

"I just want to play with them!" Ginny heard the little feet stomp.

She sighed heavily and looked over at Louis who was drawing on a blank roll of parchment.

"You are the only sane one in the bunch aren't you Louis." She said to the five year old.

"They always fight." He said wisely, nodding his head.

"Mum!"

Mummy!"

Aunt Ginny!"

"AUNNTIIEE"

"STOP!"

She glanced at Lily who was in a playpen staring at the mobile overhead, she would be alright for a minute. "Can you keep an eye on Lily for me for just a bit?" she asked her mildly tempered nephew. He nodded solemnly as she walked out of the room and towards Teddy's domain. "I swear to Merlin if I hear one more shout from this room before Harry gets home." She said as she walked in on the kids. "What is the issue?"

"They won't leave." Teddy said stubbornly, glaring at James and Dominique.

"I just want to play with them." Dominique pouted.

"We were fine until they came in and started bugging us." Victoire stated.

"I want to play wif dem too." James whined, his arms crossed in front of him.

She huffed, "Can you not just let them play?"

"No!" Teddy and Victoire said in unison.

"Jamie, come play with your brother, speaking of where is your brother?" she mused, realizing that she was a child short of the seven she should have. All four of the children shrugged in response. "Damn it." She said as she turned from the room, nerves settling in her belly, Albus wasn't as high strung as James but he was craftier, and he was very sneaky. She heard James as she left the room.

"Don't say that damit word, soap is yucky."

Ginny bit her lip in laughter as she walked off to find her youngest son. "Al! Albus!" she called out, poking her head into each room as she did. Thinking quickly she pulled her wand and flicked it, silently casting a locator charm, she saw the bright light and followed it into her and Harry's room. It swooped under their bed. Crouching down she found Albus with his enchanted safari animals laying on his tummy.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, surprised at his good behavior. Up until now he had seemed to be taking lessons from James lately on how to misbehave, especially since his third birthday.

"Pwayin. In a tent." He said with a nod.

"You know what, you have at it baby boy. Play under here as long as you like." She said, after all, he was being quiet, more than could be said of the others who had gone back to fighting.

"Bye mummy, I pway in da tent." He said.

"Alright son." She said before standing and heading back to the storm that was Teddy's room.

0o0o0o

"So I talked to dad, and he said he'd take me to the zoo before we go back to the academy in a week, and he said that you could come too."

"Uncle Harry told me once that he let a snake out of its tank at the zoo." Victoire said with a grin, "You think we can do that?"

"I think that if we did it on purpose my dad would spank us both." Teddy said honestly, though he hadn't gotten a spanking in years.

"It's alright, I am scared of snakes if they get too close." She shrugged.

He laughed "I know, let's hope when you go to Hogwarts you don't end up in Slytherin."

She frowned. "That is not even a little bit funny." She said, letting her feet dangle over the side of the tree branch.

"You know you are the only girl I have ever seen climb a tree, in a skirt at that." He said with a grin as they watched the little kids run around on the quidditch pitch.

"How many girls can you honestly say you have tried to climb a tree with?" she said.

"Lots, I am the only boy in the family until Louis after all." He said with a shrug.

"You make a good point." She giggled. "Who is going to climb trees with you at Hogwarts?"

"You I would guess." Teddy said, not really thinking about it.

"I won't be there when you go next year." She said a bit too quietly.

"Oh…Oh yeah, I forgot…Ollie I guess, that is saying they let us climb trees in Hogwarts." He answered.

"I will miss you when you go. They will make me play with the little kids." She grumbled.

"They really aren't that bad. Not if you don't mind doing silly stuff with them. I play with Jamie all the time, and Al now that he can do some more stuff."

"I just, it won't be fun anymore."

"Well that is a forever away. We have lots of time before then." He said with a shrug. "C'mon, let's see how high we can go, we can put our names all the way up."

"Alright. But let me carve it, my writing looks better." She said as she stood and held onto the tree.

"I can't even argue with that." He said, shaking his head as she laughed.

0o0o0o0o

Harry's smile crept onto his face as he watched Teddy with Lily. He had left them in the sitting room together and upon coming back he found Lily sitting on the floor, supported by Teddy, while he talked to her.

"And then when you learn to walk one day we will have to get an extra beater's bat because all those baby boys are going to love you. I might have to get them for you. Can't have you leaving me for a baby in a blue diaper now can I? We have to save you from them."

"I want to save peoples too." James said, coming to sit beside of Teddy, wiggling close to his side.

"Good, I will need your help after I start Hogwarts, I won't be here all of the time to keep her safe."

"Who am I gotta keep safe?"

"Our little sister silly boy!" he said, rolling his eyes at his brother. "As a big brother it is your job to take care of the littler brother and sister."

"I am the little brother." James said, confused.

"You are my little brother, but you are Albie and Lily's big brother. You have to be big and strong and brave and keep Lily and Albus safe. But only Al is a boy so I am sure he can handle himself when he gets big, but you have to keep Lilikins safe, forever." Teddy said seriously.

"Oh." Said James, as if he had just received the news of a lifetime. "I can be big and strong."

"I know, you are going to be the biggest and strongest boy when I go away, so you have to keep her safe."

"From Dwagons? And big dogs? And thunderw?" James asked, wildly thrashing his arms.

Teddy broke into peals of laughter, as did Harry from the door. "Sure Jamie, after all she needs protected from that stuff too." He said, lifting the baby close into his arms and standing up. "Come on, let's go get some ice cream, short stuff. We will collect Albie and dad on the way. Pout out that lip, you know it works on daddy everytime." He said with a smile.

0o0o0o

"Ablahaelahhbhabh ahadhdhdadadad" Lily jabbered happily, smiling up at Ginny. The pair were out at diagon alley, getting a start on Christmas shopping while Teddy was at school and the boys were at her mum's.

"Is that so? You know, it nearly sounded like you said dada right then." Ginny said, kissing the baby's temple and picking up the new box set of dragons for James.

"Adhaha dadadadada." Lily jabbered before giggling happily.

"You did! Lily you said dada!" she said happily. "We have to go tell him!" she said excitedly. She quickly paid for the purchases she had already gathered from the toy shop and left, deciding she could just go through muggle London into the ministry. "We can surprise him for lunch, who wouldn't want two lunch dates? Especially when one is a famous princess."

Ginny sat the baby back in the pram, covering her with a blanket to shield her from the chilly October air and headed for the Leaky cauldron. She was proud to say that she only had to stop and pose for two photos on the way.

As the lift came up she looked around the atrium, she was glad to say that most people wouldn't even recognize the improved ministry. The far wall of the room was now made of colored marble and water ran down it. Pooling into a flowing stream at the bottom. Ginny followed the path to the lifts to head up the Magical Law Enforcement offices. She smiled down at the badges that adorned herself and Lily her's ready_, Harry Potter's surprise lunch date_, and Lily's read _my daddy's princess here for love_.

"Hi Mrs. Potter." The wand guard said, "How are you and Little Miss today?"

"We are brilliant, we are here for a lunch date."

"I see that." He laughed nodding at their badges. "Did you come to see your daddy?" he said to Lily who had been cooing happily.

"dadadada." Lily jabbered on cue.

Ginny smiled brilliantly. "And that is why we are here."

"Ahhh, first words?"

"Precisely." Ginny said with a grin as she went past and to the lifts.

She hadn't factored in that this was Lily's first ever trip to her daddy's work, and making her way to Harry's office took quite some time. As she rounded the corner with Ron, whom she had run into along the way, she came face to face with the very man she came to see, and one that she had not ever prepared herself to see again.

"Gin! What are you doing here?" Harry said happily, walking around the pram and kissing her. She held out her badge in response and then pointed to Lily's. Harry laughed and picked up the baby. "Well you couldn't have had better timing. We just finished up, didn't we Draco?" Harry said, nodding to the blonde man beside him.

Draco nodded in response, "Come on kiddo. We are all done." He called behind him. Ginny angled her head to look to see whom he was talking to only to see an adorable blonde headed little boy following.

"Is he yours?" Ginny asked with a smile, bending down so she was at the child's level.

"Well I didn't steal him off the street." Draco remarked. Harry and Ginny both rolled their eyes at his sarcasm, Ron scowled. "This is Scorpius. And as you so observantly put it, he is mine." He said.

"He will start Hogwarts with Al." Harry supplied. The little boy looked up at Harry and smiled.

"Baby! Baby daddy baby!" he pointed excitedly.

"That's Lily." Ginny said pointing up to the baby as well.

"Baby!" Scorpius chanted.

"Draco this goes against every year of Hogwarts I ever had but I have to say, you made an exceptionally cute little boy." Ginny said with a smile as she stood up.

"Well, consider us even, I just finished telling Harry, after seeing the picture on his desk, that your kids are all adorable. Even the one that looks just like Harry. I suppose Harry grew out of the cute toddler phase when I met him." He said.

"Did he just make a joke?" Ron asked Ginny, looking stunned.

They all laughed.

"Funny, Weasley. Let's go Scorpius, your mum is waiting at home." He said holding out his hand.

"No, baby, mine baby, pretty baby. Corps pretty baby!" he insisted.

"Well he acts just like you Draco." Ginny said with a smile.

"Yeah, so I have noticed." Draco said with a frown as he picked the struggling toddler up. "Bye Potter, if I come up with anything else I will let you know first thing."

"Thanks." Harry called over the wails of Scorpius. He looked down at Lily and smiled, "Well Princess, it looks like Teddy was right, we are going to need a beaters bat after all." He sighed.

Lily placed her hand on Harry's cheek and patted it softly. "Dadadad dadadada ahahah dadadad." She said.

"Did she just? Lily you said dada!" he yelped, lifting her into the air.

'And that, is why we are here." Ginny said, nudging Ron and smiling.


	10. Chapter 10: A Way In

**_Warning: I will be posting several chapters over the next few days_**

**_This story will be finished quickly. _**

**_Don't miss any chapters!_**

**_I am not JKR_**

Chapter Ten

**A Way In**

"Where have you been today? You disappeared on me after dinner." Ginny said as she walked into the study.

"Sorry love, I was dealing with work related things." He said distractedly.

"Anything I can help with?" she asked, sitting on his desk, completely distracting him. He turned his chair to face her.

"Well, honestly, not anything you can help with, but something I need to talk to you about. Are the kids all in bed?"

"This does not bode well." She said with a frown. "They are all sound asleep. Well the babies are, Teddy is reading, it is Friday I can't exactly force him to go to sleep."

Harry waved his wand, putting up a one way silencing charm so they could still hear the kids but the kids could not hear them.

"This is not good at all is it?" she asked.

He sighed. "It isn't really bad…It all depends on your outlook I guess."

"Harry, just tell me." She said, after this many years of marriage she knew when he was stalling.

"I have to go on a mission, well, missions really." He sighed.

"That is all?" she said, she had expected more.

"Well no, I am going with Draco."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, well, I realized, after the whole Teddy thing, that we had some untapped resources in our converted and forced to be death eaters among us. Draco has been, really, the key to all of it. He contacted a lot of the others, he has pulled information that we never, in a million years would have been able to get. It won't work without him. I will be undercover."

"So let me get this straight, you are going undercover, with Malfoy, for an undetermined amount of time, and you are just hoping against hope that he is going to keep your identity a secret?"

"Well, no, he, well he did take an unbreakable vow."

"He what!"

"Yeah, he took the vow that while on the missions he wouldn't disclose my identity or the mission to anyone, his wife isn't even allowed to know, he is telling her he is going to sell some of the property in the Malfoy estate. Which we are going to do while we are abroad actually. You know to cover tracks." Harry said with a shrug.

"And he is ok with this?"

"It was his idea."

"This is mad. Completely unequivocally mad." She said, shaking her head.

"The good news is that I will be gone for a week and back for four days. So I won't be totally gone. And I will be sure to be home the week of and after Christmas. So you will get me all the way until the third or fourth of the year through Teddy's break at the Academy."

"You promise. There is no chance of you being gone over the holiday?" she said.

"None. I will be here, I promise. I swear it on the marauder blood that runs through my veins."

"So even if the world turns inside out and Voledmort and Grindelauld somehow come back to life and merge souls and tell you on the day before you come home if you will just spend Christmas with them they will disappear forever…" she challenged.

"I will come home and return to fight them after the New Year. Though damn that would be terrible." He said, grimacing at her idea.

"Well you know, not that it could ever happen."

"I know, but bloody hell that is…that is…I don't even have a word for what it is." He said, gaping at her.

"Do I get to know who you are hunting down?"

"That is the happy part of this mission, I am hunting no one."

"Really?"

"Yup, the only danger I am in is from curses or hexes on buildings or items, which I assure I know pose sufficient danger. We are finding, collecting, and destroying the meeting places for the death eaters and any dark items in the locations. There are twelve locations that I need to shut down, four of them are Malfoy property, and as Lucius is in Azkaban for life, Draco has, as head of the Malfoy name, signed all properties over to the ministry. And because he did it of his own volition and he is assisting in our mission, Kingsley arranged to be able to compensate for the properties. Thus appearing that Draco is out selling them." He said with a smile.

"I think I can handle this one." She said.

"I think it will be fine. But if you want I can make him reswear the oath so if your ludicrous combinations happens to actually appear he will sacrifice himself in my stead I would be happy to do that." He said, grinning wickedly. "You know, just so that I make it home for Christmas and all."

"That would be just lovely if you could arrange that for me, thank you." She joked, knowing Harry wouldn't ever think of doing such a thing.

He chuckled lightly and pulled her from his desk and into his lap, "So, I was thinking, since this went so much smoother than I ever imagined and all, how about…"

"I take you to bed with me everynight before you leave to make certain you don't forget what is waiting for you back home? I think your chances are brilliant." She interrupted, and pulled him into a blistering kiss that left him whimpering when she pulled away.

"I really need to remember to go on these things more often." He said as he took her hands and followed her to their room.

0o0o0o0o0o

"St. Mungo's was understanding and gave you leave?" Harry asked as they walked up to the third of the Malfoy properties. They were on their second week into the mission and had just gotten back from their first home visit.

"They were alright with it. I explained about being head of my estate and needing to clean up some of the stuff left from the war. The head healer Rinestrum was all for it. It helps that even after Scorpius was born and Astoria was sick I only took 4 weeks off completely and that is all I have taken off since getting out of training." He said simply.

"Do you find it odd that after so many years of detesting each other we are working so well together now? We can even talk about normal things." Harry said .

"I am attributing it to the lack of Ron Weasley." Draco said with a smirk.

Harry laughed in spite of himself. "Because he was always the one starting it and all." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Maybe we have grown up just a bit. Not that I will ever admit to being childish." He said with a huff.

"Of course not." Harry replied. "Nor will I admit to being a bit of a prat back then either."

"Back then? And only a bit?" Draco joked.

"Oh yes, because you were so much better."

Both men started laughing. And walked in companionable silence from then on out, until they reached the front of the property.

"Anything I need to worry about?" Harry asked, he was still wary of any house that bore the Malfoy name.

"I don't think so. I haven't been here since before I was marked. Mind you, I was heir to the name so any curse wouldn't have hurt me at all. I never knew my father to curse an actual property though." He said thoughtfully.

Harry was taking no chances and waived his wand no overt curses or enchantments were detected. "I'm going to let you go first." He said.

"The chosen one afraid?" Draco said with a smirk.

"Just consider it payback, I went first in the forest during first year." Harry said with a shrug.

"I cannot believe that you remember that." He said as he strode up the walk.

"It was the first time I was old enough to understand that I was looking at Voldemort, of course I remember that." Harry said, shaking his head.

"Point taken."

"Now, what are we salvaging from here?"

"From what I was told, at the last meeting held here they stored Voldemort's lists with all of the death eaters names on them. They will be marked by rank and by will, so it will tell you if the person willingly joined or if they were coerced into it."

"That…Wow, that will completely change my whole department." Harry said, staring at his nemesis.

Draco nodded. "Right, but first we have to find it and then we have to destroy the house."

"All right, well, let's start looking."

0o0o0o

They had been searching the Malfoy house for three days and found innumerable items, some of which Harry put into an expandable bag that was being handed over to the ministry, but they had found no rosters of former death eaters.

"Well, the manor has a hidden room right, could there be something like that?" Harry said, kneeling and knocking on the solid floor.

"The possibilities are endless." Draco murmured.

"Did we try summoning it?"

"Don't be thick, the dark lord isn't going to have that parchment so you can summon it." Draco said, shaking his head.

"Accio death eater member roster." Harry said, albeit half heartedly. He looked at Draco and shrugged, "I knew him to overlook some really simple magic." Suddenly as if replying to his statement a scroll zoomed into Harry's hand from down the hall. He looked down at it, his eyes narrowed at the wax seal in the shape of the dark mark.

Draco stared, mouth open, "Well I'll be damned."


	11. Chapter 11: Christmas Questions

Chapter Eleven

**Christmas questions**

If Harry thought that the Christmas season had been crazy at the burrow all those years ago, it was nothing for a Christmas season with four kids under eleven. His house was insane, it looked like father Christmas and all his reindeer had come in and threw up. With James and Al being older now Ginny and Teddy had helped them and they went all out. There were paper chains, everywhere, all speckled with glitter and glue. Their tree had popcorn chains and homemade ornaments from the kids. Real fairies were floating in the branches, all at least four foot or higher, well out of reach of the little hands in the house.

He had been home for a week, he was proud to say that he had kept his promise, and even happier to say that no random, terrifying act of magic had brought Ginny's prediction to life. Where she had come up with that he had no idea. And he was glad to be home, in his bed, and not making nice with Draco Malfoy. Though he had to admit, they were really doing well together. So far they had fully destroyed 7 houses, 2 of which were Malfoy estates, and collected several items that were linked to Voldemort and or the death eaters. At the last house they had found what looked like half of a list of hideouts for specific death eaters, as well as a target list. Harry was not surprised to see his name with the words, seek and capture, in bold red letters.

_"Do you think I would still get that reward?" Malfoy joked._

_Harry shrugged, "Meh, if you split it with me we can try, and make a bet on the money if I can take them or not."_

_"It will have to wait for after Christmas, Astoria will kill me if I miss Christmas." Draco said with a shudder._

_"Oh, right, I wouldn't want to face Gin if I missed it either."_

_"I think you are more scared of your wife than you ever were of Voldemort." Draco said rolling his eyes._

_"I know for a fact, that you are right. Though, if I am completely honest, I was bloody scared to death for nearly the entire time I was in Hogwarts." Harry said, shaking his head at all the memories._

_"Am I just to assume you were a good actor then?" _

_"No, you just never were one to pay attention." Harry had joked_

Smiling slightly to himself at the fact that he was achieving a goal, working with Malfoy, that he hadn't ever even considered being possible. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around his already sleeping wife. He was happy to be home for the next fortnight.

0o0o0o0o

All the air pushed out of him as a pair of knobby knees pierced his gut.

"Hmhphhp." Came his winded response.

"Don't grab your wand it's just Al!" Ginny said, she knew her husband all too well.

Harry peeked open an eye and looked towards the window in their room. "Al, it is still dark out." He said, sleep filling his head.

Suddenly a much heavier weight threw itself over his middile, right below where Albus sat on his chest.

"But it is Christmas dad, we want to open presents." Sang Teddy.

Harry looked down and saw the boy leaning over the bed, his feet dangling, he gripped a handful of the back of his proffered medi witch pants that he wore for sleeping and flung him up onto the bed between himself and Ginny.

"Sleep." He ordered, throwing Albus down beside his oldest brother, both of them giggling at their flights through the air.

Instantly cold settled over Harry as he no longer had a blanket, Ginny was laughing from her place warm and snug under the covers, her arm wrapped around Albus.

"But Daddy! Father Christmas could have come!" James said imperiously, his hands on his hips. Harry grabbed him under the arms and flung him into the small space between himself and Teddy, they all knew better than to put Albus and James side by side by now.

"It is," he consulted the watch that had once been Fabian's.. "It is 4:47 in the morning! I assure you if you don't go back to sleep right now I will call Father Christmas and have him come pick up all these gifts." He grumbled as James and Al looked shocked and Teddy chuckled.

"Nah uh, you don't know him." James said stubbornly.

"no know him." Albus repeated, the same set look on his face.

"Oh but I do, mess with me and there will be no presents for anyone but Lily, who is the only quiet member of the house."

Without warning Lily gave a yell from the next room, Ginny sat up and rubbed her eyes, Albus burst out of bed from beside her, bouncing up and down.

"Well shite. It is a conspiracy, they have me set up." He whined to his wife who only laughed and stood stretching as she left the room, Harry watched as his overlarge jersey rode up on her hips. "Good morning Mrs. Potter, it is always lovely to see you." He said, little concealed seduction in his eyes.

She giggled like she had back when they were sixteen and seventeen, smiling like a school girl. "Well, there is always nap time." She purred, "And I will look even better when I beat you poor boys to the presents." She said as she ran from the room.

"No!" James cried out, leaping from the bed, Albus was hot on his heals while Harry and Teddy remained laying on the bed.

"I am going to have to get up, aren't I little man?"

"I think you are, and don't you think I am too big for you to call me little man? I will be eleven in just a few months."

Harry felt his heart sink, he knew that Teddy was serious this time, he had mentioned it while giggling before, but Harry had known it wasn't true, but this time…

"You are getting too grown up on me Teddy." He said as he pulled him into his arms and held him in a hug.

"You know, on your first Christmas, you came over really early and were beating on my bedroom door with a bow on your head. You were entirely too cute for so early in the morning."

"Didn't I live with you then?"

"No, that was when I was still in school, you lived at Hogwarts with your Gramma and you came to visit me often, though you did stay all night that evening." Harry said as he remembered the year they had gotten Paddy.

"You had a room for me?" Teddy asked, he was just starting to like to hear about when he was a baby.

"Nah, once Gin and I got married we did, and actually in our house, we did have a room for you but, well you can't live with a witch till you are married so until then you slept with me in my bed."

"But where did mum sleep?" asked Teddy, surprised.

"We were only teenagers Ted, we weren't married yet, she slept in her own bedroom."

"Oh, but why, didn't you know you loved her?"

This was treading to a very dangerous conversation in Harry's opinion.

"Well, yes, but you don't get to sleep in the same bed with a girl until you marry them." Harry explained.

"But what if you don't live together, you are just having a sleepover?" Teddy asked, innocently enough.

"Those are strictly not allowed." Harry said firmly. "Girls don't stay all night. Unless it is with your sister in which case they stay in her room."

"But Vic stays all night all the time, we have even slept in my room. I know she doesn't act like it, but she is a girl." Teddy pointed out.

He hated it when one of his kids one upped him, "That doesn't count." Harry said.

"Why not?" Teddy asked, obviously not understanding.

"Because we hadn't had this conversation before, no more sleeping in the same room with Vic, or any other girl for that matter." He said with a huff. "You know what little man, I bet they have beat us to the gifts."

"Daad." Teddy whined at the use of the nick name.

"Right, sorry, it will take time to remember. "Let's go get to the tree."

Teddy jumped up and followed down the stairs.

"So how old will I be when a girl can sleep in my room again so we can stay up all night playing?"

Harry nearly choked, as it was Ginny did. She looked up at the pair, Harry red faced and looking like he had just come out on the bad end of a battle, and Teddy just looking confused.

"Not till you are thirty at least." Ginny replied.

"Mum, you aren't even thirty yet." Teddy pointed out.

"Yes well, I was rebellious and you love me too much to put me through all of that."

Teddy smiled and shrugged before spotting a present with his name on. He rushed the tree to help the boys pass out gifts. Ginny handed Lily to Harry, who still looked rattled.

"Bet you can't wait for that full conversation in a few year huh?" she said with a grin.

"Nughngh, do not remind me." He groaned as he watched the kids tear into the paper. He looked at Lily and kissed her head, "If you love me at all you will stop growing when you are five." He said.

"AAhhahah Dadadadad." She replied, just happy to be out of her cot.

"See I knew you were my favorite for a reason


	12. Chapter 12: Excessive Force

Chapter Twelve

**Excessive Force**

"Well that can't be good." Harry muttered, looking at the house in trepidation.

"No, no it can't be." Draco said in hushed tones.

They had arrived at the second to final house only to find it surprisingly occupied. By several men, all standing in the side room.

"Do you think they know they are in plain sight?" Draco said, looking around, "That is pretty dumb."

"Yeah well, I haven't met many brilliant death eaters." Harry grumbled. "A few, yes, but not many."

"Thanks for that." Draco said, scowling at the house in the distance.

"If it helps, I don't consider you a death eater." Harry replied, surprising even himself.

"What are you talking about, I even have the mark. I was most certainly, a death eater. Not that I am proud of it, but I did it, and at first it was even willingly."

"I know that. But honestly, I was on the tower the night Dumbledore died, I haven't considered you a true death eater since then."

"Well, far be it for me to argue." Draco shrugged, trying to shake off the memory of that night. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, I am going to send you to the ministry for backup, and I am going to sit here and keep watch until you get back. I will alert Ron, he will be waiting for you at the MLE offices."

"You want me to leave you alone, outnumbered by death eaters?" Draco said, astonished.

"Well now really, it isn't as if this is my first time." Harry huffed, "Now go, just get to the ministry, don't forget to apparate under a silencing spell!"

Draco looked paler than usual but nodded all the same and left to go deeper into the forest behind him.

0o0o0o

Ron had felt a burn in his pocket and pulled out the old DA galleon, he and Harry kept theirs on them at all times, it was an easy way to communicate. They had altered them slightly so that an encrypted message could actually be sent through them. They also had used them as portkeys from time to time. He read the message and rushed into the auror department, he needed to have a team readied.

He had been waiting for over a half an hour and Malfoy still had not shown up. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach and decided to go ahead with the coordinates that Harry had sent through the coin, taking his team with him.

The grounds were silent upon their arrival, Ron looked around nervously. There were no signs of anyone, anywhere. He motioned his group towards the house that loomed in the distance, there were no lights, no sign of movement. He crouched, close to the edge of the property, Harry was nowhere to be found, Malfoy was nowhere either. Something was very, very wrong. After casting charms to locate other enchantments and curses, and finding nothing he took a tentative step forward.

"Homenum Revelio." He muttered. Several lights flew from his wand and illuminated over the house. He froze, they were in there. At least fifteen people, the question was, where were Harry and Draco.

"Creevey!" He hissed.

Dennis sidled up to him silently. this is why he liked him, he was stealthy, his small frame perfect for reconnaissance missions. "What can I do boss?"

"I need you to come with me up to the house. I don't detect any wards but I could be wrong. We need to find Potter and Malfoy and we need to do it now."

"ER…are we talking Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy? Because if they have been alone all this time I suspect we will find them in pieces." Dennis said wide eyed.

"Well what other Potter and Malfoy do you know? Of course I mean Harry and Draco, and believe me, that thought crossed my mind…Keep a look out for body parts lying about." Ron said, not entirely kidding.

"Right." Dennis replied.

Ron situated the remainder of his team and went off with Dennis towards the old house. They each went to different sides, staking out what they could, Ron had just crept up to the side window, it had been blackened out with magic, and there was a faint buzz around it. Someone had placed an untraceable intruder charm on it. Swearing silently to himself he continued on, hopefully he would find something, and soon. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the auror tags around his neck tingled, he pulled them out to look at them, Dennis' auror ID number was scrawled across the back side. Understanding immediately he crept to the other side of the house. Searching for his elusive partner.

"Weasley!" a voice hissed.

Ron spun, and snuck over to the shimmery air by a bush, knowing the traces of Dennis' disillusionment charm.

"Bottom window, part of the magic is wearing off. Go look. This can't be good."

Ron nodded and made his way back over. Cursing when he was able to see inside the house, Ginny was going to kill him for letting this happen.

0o0o0o0o

Harry opened his eyes, blinking in the dim light, he couldn't move, that much he knew. And someone was tied to his back, he could feel their head lulling against his own. It had to be Draco, there really was no other option. That meant he never got back to the ministry. No one else was in the room with them.

"Malfoy." He said.

"Potter." Came the grunted reply.

"You didn't make it to the ministry." Harry stated.

"How did you ever get so smart?"

"Cheeky git. Honestly. Did you see any of them?"

"No, they hit me from behind. Right as I started to apparate, I am shocked I didn't end up splinched."

"We have to figure a way out of this."

"No shit."

"You are so helpful." Harry growled.

"Just so you know, they haven't offered the award, I keep waiting but I think they are going to stiff us."

"Damn, and I was sure I had the odds on the bet." Harry grumbled with a smirk.

"What is your wife going to say? I have no experience with this while being married."

"Well, let's just hope that we make it out of here before anyone is any wiser." Harry said worriedly.

"I thought you were contacting Ron as I left."

"Well maybe he won't be here yet." Harry said with a note of optimism.

"Uhm Potter, you've been unconscious for over twelve hours." Draco said.

"Son of a bitch." Harry grumbled.

0o0o0o

"He got what!"

Ron flinched. "He got captured, I don't know how and I don't have time to discuss it. I came back to get a larger team, it's been eighteen hours since he sent me the message and I think that he got caught right after that. He was unconscious for a while, I know he woke up, I saw him talking to Malfoy."

"Did he have something to do with this?" Ginny growled.

"Judging by the amount he has been put under the cruciatus, I would say not. I left Creevey in charge so I have to get back Gin, I just, I thought it should be me that told you. I have to get back, when I left the house was full, but Dennis messaged and it has now emptied of all but five unknowns and then Malfoy and Harry. If we are doing this, it is now"

"Get him back."

"I plan on it. Either I or King will get to you as soon as I have him."

"Will I be meeting you at St. Mungo's?"

"I'm afraid so."

She sighed and shook her head. "I will firecall Andromeda."

0o0o0o0o

Harry lifted his eyes to look at Draco. He was hanging limply, tethered against the wall opposite him. If he could only get to his wand, this wouldn't be an issue, shit if he could only get to Draco he could try and apparate themselves out. This group wasn't the brightest of the bunch after all, he didn't think they had an anti apparition jinx up at all.

He looked at his own ties, they weren't done up too tightly, and his feet were free. In all honesty, if they didn't keep using that damn cruciatus on him until he passed out he might be out by now. Just as the thought crossed his mind the door to the room they were being held in opened.

"You're awake are yeh?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Harry spat, literally, he spat blood from his mouth after biting through his lip during a round of torture.

"I am keepin a watch on yeh, Selwyn and Rowle will be here soon, but they put me in charge." The man said.

"Firstly, you realize you just gave the head of the Special Force Aurors the names of your accomplices, and the fact that you walked in here like I wouldn't know who you were."

"Yeh don't know me."

"You were there the night my godfather died, I have kept every single one of you on a special list ever since, Jugson. It will be one of the highlights of my life to bring you into Azkaban myself."

"Yeh aren't goin nowhere, unless yeh happen to notice, you are all tied up, nice n tight."

Harry managed a shrug and spat more blood from his mouth. "Might be, but it seems to me that you wouldn't be threatened of me. You have my wand, everyone knows that I only defeated Voldemort because of my wand. You are more experienced than me, you are older than me, larger than me, sodding hell you are stronger than me but there you stand, getting ready to use a gutless torture curse on a tied up man. Just goes to show there is a reason you weren't a Gryffindor."

"Not in..Not in Gryffindor, who'd wanna be in that house anyways? I think I'd kill meself."

"Explains why you are scared to face me like a man." Harry said with another shrug.

"I ana scared, not of a bleeding Gryffindor."

"Then why do you have me tied to a wall?"

"I don that wasn me it was Selwyn."

"Oh but you are the one that has been torturing me while I was tied here. I think you are a coward. A stinking sodding pitiful excuse for a man, a coward." He pushed.

Jugson jerked forward, brandishing his wand and Harry felt his bonds release. He fell to his knees, they were weak after the torture.

"A coward am I, let's see yeh fight now Mr. Gryffindor."

Harry looked up from the floor as Jugson walked closer and he felt the hatred in his mouth, as he stepped to his shoulder and held out his wand Harry grabbed the man's legs and flipped him instantly to his back before pressing his knees into his neck. He grappled for his wand, trying to keep it pointed away from him, it send sparks at the wall, directly beside of Draco, who woke up with a start, eyes wide. Harry continued to put pressure on Jugson's airway and watched, in immense satisfaction as he lost consciousness.

He stood after a minute and grabbed the man's wand from the floor where it had fallen, releasing Draco from his bind's and catching him in his arms.

"Did you kill him?"

"I hope not, that is way more paperwork, and King will suspend me again for excessive force." He sighed.

"Do you want me to check?" Draco asked, the healer in him showing a bit.

"Nah." Harry said, shooting out roped and then body binding the man. "He will be here when backup comes." He shrugged. "For now, let's get you to the forest, I know there has to at least be an advance squad in there by now."

He wrapped his arm around Draco and they supported each other the best they could. As they reached the door it flew open, sending them back peddling towards the wall.

"What in the bloody hell happened?" came Ron's yell.

Harry sighed in relief and felt Draco slump next to him.

"We were getting out."

"How were you going to get past the other four death eaters in the house?" Ron baulked.

"I had a bet going, I wasn't about to lose." Harry said, the teasing tone in his voice blatant, Draco laughed beside him.

Harry stood back up and looked at the man that was lying, unmoving in the center of the room again.

"What did you do to him?" Ron asked, touching him with his toe.

"I may have used excessive force." Harry mumbled.

"Damn it Harry. If you killed him and I get stuck with your paperwork again I am going to throttle you."

Harry smiled, "It'll have been worth it."

"Yeah, I suppose it will have." Ron said as more aurors made their way into the room. Harry reached out his hand to pull Draco up from against the wall, as he took his weight he saw the room spin, and saw no more.

0o0o0o0o

"I am fine, just, send me home already." He grumbled jerking away from the nursemaid.

"Honestly, healers and aurors, the two worst patients ever." She sighed, "I would complain more but I have to admit, you are easier than Mr. Potter over there." Motioning to the room next door, Draco laughed in response.

He knew Harry was awake and doing well. Like himself he was being kept for observation due to over exposure of the cruciatus. It was beyond irritating. They were both ready to leave and be done with all of this. Harry had visited with Kinsley earlier in the week and he had signed over the last Malfoy property. Astoria was being incredible. She hadn't even complained about having to move herself and a three year old without his help. As of tomorrow they would fully be living in a well appointed, spacious flat in the outskirts of London and Malfoy manor would be property of the ministry. His mother was

none too happy about his decision, but he couldn't be happier to get out of there. He had so many bad memories in that house, it wasn't even a home, that he didn't want to raise his son there.

"And, you will be going home tomorrow Mr. Malfoy.

He nodded and turned to the window, he wondered how long until he could be back to work, and what Scorpius was up to today.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"I can't believe you did something as stupid as leaving yourself alone in the middle of a stakeout." Ginny seethed. Since the healer had announced that he could go home and was mended and well, she had stopped holding her anger. "That is perhaps the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard."

"Gin, honestly, how many other options did I have."

"Ridiculous. You are never going back to that office." She growled.

"I am the department head, I can't work from home." He argued.

"Well you had better find something to do about it." She huffed.

"Gin, come on." He said, holding out his arms and waiting for her to walk into them, she did. "I am home, to stay, and I am fine." He soothed.

"And I am still pissed."


	13. Chapter 13: A Godfather's Gift

Chapter Thirteen

**A Godfather's Gift**

**Take Two**

"It's today It's today It's today!" Teddy's voice could be heard screaming through the house.

Harry laughed at his exuberance. They had known he would be up early today. He pelted down the stairs and stopped, seeing the floor full of balloons and streamers magically falling from the ceiling.

"Happy 11th birdday Teddy!" James yelled, leaping into Teddy's pajama clad arms.

"Yay Tettie, Happy Birfday!" Albus shouted grabbing a free leg and squeezing it tightly.

"Hey short stuff's, thank you." He said with a smile, sitting James back down on the floor and lifting Al into a hug.

He sat him down and smiled as Lily toddled her way towards him. "Bub bub bub." She jabbered as Teddy lifted her into his arms.

Ginny followed Lily and took her, hugging Teddy closely, "Happy Birthday my Teddy bear." She sniffled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Mum, it isn't as if I am moving out today or anything." He said with a laugh.

"I know, it's just, I was there when you were born and I can't believe how big you are. I love you so much and you are all grown up." She said, tears pouring down her face.

"Love you too mum." He said, allowing her another rare kiss.

Harry was last, he scooped the boy up into his arms, lifting him from the ground and hugged him tightly. "Happy Birthday little man." He said quietly.

"Thanks dad." Teddy said, not rebuking Harry for using the nick name.

"I have a surprise for you. And you can have it right now." Harry said with a grin.

"I don't have to wait for my party?" Teddy said hopefully.

"Nope, not at all, in fact, you and I are going to need it for today, before the party."

He sat him down and pointed towards the table, where in the center, surrounded by the most extensive fried breakfast that Teddy had ever seen, was a long perfectly wrapped present. Teddy's eyes got huge. Only one thing came in that kind of box.

"I-I- it's for me? Are you sure?" he looked around at his parents as they sat down, Ginny sitting Lily into her seat. James, who was now five, was tapping his hands excitedly on the table. And Al was practically jumping on his chair.

"I am fairly certain it is for you." Harry said with a smile.

"Open it." Ginny urged.

Not waiting another second Teddy, with help from Harry, pulled it off of the table and sat in the floor with the blue and gold wrapped gift. He ripped into it almost as soon as his knees hit the floor. Harry laughed when his jaw nearly hit his chest.

"But-This is-it'sa-" he stammered staring reverently into the box.

Harry knelt and lifted it up. "This is a firestorm. It is one of the first 100 off the line. This is the broom that will be flown in the world cup this summer. It is all yours."

"But-I- this is a brilliant broom!" he said, unable to find the right words.

"And you are a brilliant son." Ginny said with a smile.

Harry placed the broom in his young son's hands. "We bought you your first broom on your first birthday, just as my Godfather had done for me. It seemed fitting that on this birthday we bought you your first really, truly competitive broom. This is an international standards broom, this will be fantastic on a house team." Harry said with a grin.

"But I can't even take it to Hogwarts this year." Teddy said.

"Well, we wouldn't want to punish you at home just because you can't take it to school. It will come in handy this summer, I guarantee it."

Teddy leapt to his feet and fell into Harry's arms.

"Thank you so much, so so so much." He said, hugging both Harry and the broom before running to Ginny. "I love it mum, I love it so so much. Thank you, it is the best present ever!"

0o0o0o

"Are you ready?"

Teddy didn't even have to answer, his eyes were lit up with excitement.

"I cannot believe we are going to do this!" he practically squealed.

"You have to learn to fly it sometime. And who better to teach you?"

Teddy laughed happily as he watched Harry shoot off on his own Firestorm into the clouds, he kicked off, screaming as his hair whipped back from the speed. Harry had to admit, the broom was incredible, it turned faster than you could think and if you pushed too hard the wind actually hurt as it hit your face. It may have been a bit over the top for a first real broom, but how much better of a quidditch player would it make him? Besides, if it was really too much for him to handle, he could always use Harry's old Firebolt.

They flew for three hours before Teddy was so cold he was shaking too violently to fly, though he insisted he could keep going. Harry coaxed him down and into the house. Ginny and the boys were at the burrow, helping to set up for the party this evening. Harry got Teddy inside and made a batch of hot cocoa before they both got baths and cleaned up for the party.

He walked him out so they could apparate, Teddy hadn't wanted to get all sooty on his birthday.

"Dad?" Teddy said suddenly as they made their way to the end of the lane where the apparition jinx ended.

"Yeah?"

"I have something I want to do." He said softly.

"Alright."

"But, I don't want you to get mad."

Harry looked at him, concerned. "How about I promise I won't get mad and you won't get in trouble for asking. But I can't promise we will do it."

Teddy nodded and looked at his feet. "Can we go see my mum and dad before we go to my party? It is just, today is my birthday and I should see them, it is an important one, and it isn't that I don't-"

Harry stopped him and knelt in front of him. "Teddy, listen. I will never, never get angry with you for wanting to see them. You can always ask to go to them, I won't get mad or hurt. They are your parents, I know how it feels to want to see them, even when you don't know them. I do the same thing. And if I have told you once I have said it a thousand times, you can love us all."

Teddy nodded and scuffed his toes in the dirt.

"How about we go right now? And then we can go to the party after."

"But Gramma doesn't live there anymore." Teddy said. "I don't want her to know. It makes her sad to take me ther." He muttered.

"It makes her proud too. Proud of the boy you have become and the man you will be one day. One day that is coming far too fast. It makes her proud that you love your parents so much, even when they aren't here to so how much they love you. But they do, I promise, and you should go today. And she may not live there but she still owns the house, and I can apparate us there and we can go see them."

Teddy nodded and Harry took his arm and spun into oblivion. They arrived on the hill behind the Tonks Residence. Harry allowed Teddy to go first, walking the familiar path down to the graves. Before he reached them he turned.

"You don't care?"

Harry couldn't resist, he pulled him into a hug. "Of course I care, more than you could ever imagine." He took his Godson's arm and lead him to the graves. Stopping at the headstone and looking down solemnly before bending and touching Remus' name. He turned and looked back to Teddy.

" When I see that Ginny and I have raised you, and you started as this little baby that was helpless and perfect and had no idea that his parents weren't coming back, and you are now this amazing boy it makes me happier than anything else. Ted, we raised you to love Remus and Tonks. We talked about them, and told you about them, and showed you pictures, and brought you to their graves. We didn't hide them away for a reason. We want you to love them, we expect you to miss them. Did you know, that for the first year or so I tried to get you to call me uncle Harry?"

Teddy stepped back and looked at him curiously. "Why would you do that? Didn't you want to be my dad."

Harry sighed and sat down directly on the hard ground of the grave. "No, that had nothing to do with it, I had already planned to bring you home to live with me when I got out of school. I didn't want you to think you had to love me more than your father. Remus, your dad, he was a great man. I truly respect him and admire him, even to this day. I didn't want to let him down by you not caring about him. I was so afraid I was going to mess you up."

Teddy sat down, to Harry's surprise, on his lap. Just as he had everytime they had visited here until he was eight years old. He leaned back against his chest and Harry wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "I love you so much, and then, I was so wrapped up in you. I did everything and anything I could for you. I was scared to hold you but scared to let anyone else do it. I knew from the first time I held you, right here at this very spot that you were the most important gift I had ever been given. You were the reason that it was important that I was even there. You little man, gave me a purpose, and all I wanted to do was give you a good life."

"I love you. I love you both." Teddy said, rubbing his hand across his face.

"I know, and he knows."

"I want to know them."

"I wish I could make that happen Ted I really…I can…well in a sense I can. What if I do for you what my Godfather did for me? I can show you memories, mine, Gin's, your Gramma's, even some of the one's Sirius left for me, Remus is in them. I bet professor McGonagall would give us some of when our dad's were younger and in school, we could see them together. And, if you wanted, we could even ask Rileigh. I know she will have a lot of them from when they were in school and shortly after. She said she has some of me when I was little. I haven't seen them, she offered but I didn't take her up on it. If you want we can get them too."

"We can do it today?" Teddy said, excitement showing on his face.

"Well, I can ask around today, but it will take me a bit of time to gather them all. Once I have them, we can do it. Just give me a few weeks."

"Can we do it on the anniversary?"

Harry nearly choked. "We-we-why that day?"

"It was the day that made them not know me, I think it should be the day that I get to know them."

Harry stared at the newly turned eleven year old, stunned by the logic he had brought forth.

"Alright then. On the anniversary."

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Are you sure you are alright to do this?" Ginny asked both Harry and Teddy.

They were standing in the study at their house, staring at the pensieve that stood on the floor between them. Harry had just poured several memories in and they were swirling about erratically.

"I put Sirius' in first, and then Rileigh's, then Andromeda's and McGonagall. Then are mine and Ginny's, Kingsley's, which should be fun since he and your mum were Aurors together and he was friends with Remus, And then the last of your Grandma's it is of their wedding and of your birth and the couple of weeks after. We will go when you say."

"I-are you sure it is safe?"

"Teddy, let's be honest here, if it wasn't safe, I would literally die for sending you in." Harry said with a knowing look."

"I-right, that thing."

"The vow, right, so it is perfectly safe. And if you are done, if you can't take anymore, you will be able to talk to me and I will get us out right away."

Teddy nodded in understanding, staring skeptically at the metal and stone basin.

"Harry are you sure about this?" Ginny asked, tears already swimming in her eyes, she wasn't fooled, both of them were acting ready, neither of them were prepared for the emotions they were about to face. Both of them nodded.

"I am ready." Teddy said bravely.

Harry placed his hand on the back of his neck and showed him how to put his face in. Nervous, Teddy took a deep breath and plunged his head in, Harry followed immediately. First they watched through the memories Harry had already seen, the ones he had received from Sirius. Then came the ones that Harry had no clue what was coming next from Rileigh.

He looked around when the fog cleared, he saw Teddy staring around himself in awe. Harry recognized the Gryffindor common room. Hysterical laughter drug his attention to the chairs around the fire where four boys and four girls were laughing hysterically. Harry took Teddy's shoulder and lead him over, they were looking over their parents who had to be late in their sixth year as neither James or Lily was wearing a head badge, but were talking to one another happily. They watched as James and Sirius accidentally blew up the book that Remus had been holding and as Remus had turned their skin Slytherin green and their hair silver.

The next memory was of a dance. Harry smiled as he watched his mother and father dance for hours, they didn't even seem to notice anyone else, he didn't figure that they were dating yet as they never kissed and the sparks and sexual tension between them was palpable. They saw Remus dance with Rileigh and listened as they laughed and talked together. Teddy looked simply happy at watching Remus joke and laugh, Harry could tell from watching that Remus had in fact loved this girl once upon a time.

They laughed together through a series of pranks, one of which involved disappearing clothing that Harry had covered Teddy's eyes for, another of rapids down the stairs and innumerable more.

They got to see Rileigh and Remus babysit Harry on several different occasions and the day that Remus had told Rileigh the story of his bite. It wasn't a happy memory but Harry knew that it had answered several of the questions Teddy seemed to have silently held.

They saw Tonks as a young child, she had been a lot like Teddy, Harry could see his actions within her. They saw her leave for Hogwarts and come home giggling and talking about a crush on Charlie Weasley. Which Harry found funny. They saw the first magic she performed, and listened to her talk about how she liked Remus.

McGonagall had memories of both and hers ranged from proud moments to disastrous pranks by the marauders. She even included some of when Remus had been a professor. Most of Harry's memories had been of Remus, from when he was in third year all the way up until shortly before his death, including the day he had announced Teddy's birth and had asked Harry to be Godfather. Ginny's were mainly of Tonks to Harry's surprise there were several of her pregnant and talking about how excited she was, some shortly after Teddy had been born, even the first time Ginny had actually held him, long before she knew he would view her as a mum. Kingsley's memories had them both laughing, Tonks had always been a clumsy one. Molly's were of the pair as they dated and showed the love they had for one another. They also included one that Harry hadn't known even existed, one of Molly and Arthur walking in on a very young Harry and Ginny, in Andromeda's house, asleep with Teddy on the sofa.

The came Andromeda's second set. Harry could tell that Teddy was reaching his limit, he looked drained though he didn't want to stop. They watched as Tonks and Remus held him for the first time, and four different scenes of him with them as an infant. Tonks cradling him and singing, telling him how much she loved him. Her changing her hair and Teddy, small as he was, changing to mimic her. She laughed and cheered every time that he managed it. There was a scene of Remus reading to him, completely in French, placing adoring kisses on his head as he did so. And then a scene that Harry had not expected, the scene at the grave, the first time Harry had held Teddy.

He squeezed his shoulder slightly as they watched the much younger Harry look despondent and sad. He truly looked miserable. He saw his own smile the first time Teddy was placed in his arms and then as they had both glowed with the unintentional vow and the look of shock and pride on Harry's face. It was then that Harry pulled Teddy, shaking out.

They stood and looked at one another for a long moment.

"You look so little when I was born." Teddy said with a smile.

"I was. So were you, did you see how tiny you were when I held you that first time?"

Teddy nodded and walked into Harry's arms, he held him tightly and felt him start to shake under his hands. Teddy hadn't truly cried since shortly after the kidnapping.

"I am sad."

"Me too little man, me too." Harry hugged him for a long time until he felt the sobs settle. "Do you want to skip Vic's birthday party?"

Teddy pulled back and shook his head. "I can't skip her party, she is my best friend. I have to go. But I am going to get a shower first." He said wiping his eyes.

"Alright, get cleaned up and we will head over."

Teddy nodded and headed for the door before turning. "Thank you dad."

"Anytime Teddy."

"No, I mean for everything. Thank you."


	14. Chapter 14: The End Of The End

**_And This is it…._**

**_So enjoy, this is the last actual chapter of AFTER THE SUN ROSE_**

**_Whoo this has been more than two years in the making…_**

**_After 89 chapters and more than 170,000 words…_**

**_This is it._**

**_See the AN at the end :)_**

**_I am not JKR_**

Chapter Fourteen

**The End of the End, **

"IT CAME! IT"S HERE! WE HAVE TO GO TO DIAGON ALLEY RIGHT NOW!"

Harry looked up from the paper, across the kitchen to his wife who was currently feeding their 16 month old daughter her breakfast. They both grinned in understanding.

"Hey Lilikins! Look baby girl! It ca-a-a-a-ame!" he sang flailing a scroll about in the air.

"Hey Ted, did you get something in the post this morning?" Harry asked nonchalant.

He suddenly had to pull back to see the paper that was an inch from his face.

"It's here, we have to go, TODAY! It has to be right now!" he hopped excitedly over to Ginny and brandished it about in her face as well.

"I see that son, your dad works today though, you know he has the trials for his last mission coming up in a week or so." She said

Teddy turned towards Harry, and he was forcibly reminded of his pouting face from when he was just a baby.

"But dad! Please! I NEED to go today, I can't wait! Please." He pled.

Harry looked at Ginny who was smiling slightly. "Why don't you get them all ready, Teddy will help you with Jamie so it doesn't take as long, and I will go into the office for an hour and then take the rest of the day off." Harry said, ruffling Teddy's bright blue hair.

"I will, I will even make him take a bath!" Teddy said, running out of the kitchen,

"It's a shame we don't have something to bribe him with on a daily basis." Ginny chuckled, shaking her head.

Harry laughed as he walked towards her and gave her a kiss, before bending to kiss the porridge covered toddler in front of him. "Alright Princess, behave and I will take you shopping for toys in an hour." He said with a grin.

"I think the princess here has enough toys." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"So is there a chance that we will make it through this without any publicity do you think?"

"Not on your life, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that this is Teddy. He is the son of two war heroes who died in the final battle. Two very very well known war heroes. He is Harry Potter's Godson but was raised as his son. Not to mention the reporters love him because he metamorphs randomly and they find it amusing to catch his different looks. He was orphaned because of Hogwarts, where he then lived until he was two, and now he is going back. This is a huge deal. Add in the Chosen ones three kids, the fact that Al is completely understandable now and Lily can walk and yell and cause mayhem, and James is, well he is James. There is no way of getting out unscathed."

"Right, I guess I will be back in an hour, wouldn't want to miss the fun." He grumbled.

0o0o0o0o

Even with the reporters, Harry was glad they had not missed this day. It was made even more hectic as Ron and Hermione opted to join them. With all three of them and then Ginny, being a star chaser for Holyhead before the kids, and their kids, moving from one place to another was a nightmare, but it was doable. Teddy was bouncing around, the epitome of hyper with James following him step for step.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you two take him to Olivander's and leave the babies with us, we will go over to Florean's and get some ice cream." Hermione said.

"I'm commin with Teddy!" James yelled, clinging to his older brother's hand for dear life.

"It's fine, we will take these two with us and then meet you for ice cream." Ginny said with a grin.

"My wand, for the love of Merlin we are buying my wand!" Teddy squealed. "And I am actually allowed to use it and everything."

"Not out of school you aren't." Ginny corrected quickly.

Teddy rolled his eyes and Harry laughed. "Yes love, because that ever stopped any of us."

"SSssshh he doesn't need to know that."

They watched nostalgically as Teddy and James ran ahead together, no one approached them but Harry did see one or two flash bulbs go off.

"Do you remember the first time we brought him to diagon alley?" Harry asked as he watched James hop into a fighting stance and the pair pretended to fence with sticks they had found on the ground.

"How could I forget, you nearly decimated the entirety of wizarding press that day." She chuckled.

"It wasn't that bad." Harry muttered, embarrassed.

"It was completely that bad." Ginny replied stepping up to the old door.

"Teddy, come on, in here." She pointed.

Harry picked his five year old up and hoisted him onto his shoulders as they walked in.

"Ah, I expected to see you in here this summer. It is lovely to see you again Mr. Potter, Miss. Weasley, or rather should I say, Mrs. Potter." The extremely old man said softly.

"Mr Olivander, I am glad to see you again." Harry said with an outstretched hand.

Ollivander nodded in his odd way and peered at Teddy.

"I expect you would be Theodore Lupin?"

"Potter-Lupin." Teddy corrected, suddenly seeming shy.

"Right, Potter Lupin of course, son of two incredibly strong wizards and Godson of the savior of the world." He said.

"Savior of what? Huh?" Teddy said.

Harry swallowed hard, he supposed he should get more in depth with Teddy about what his role in the war had been. He knew he was involved but nothing farther really. That may have been an oversight on his part.

"Well step up here, let's get your measurements. Which is your wand hand?"

After a nudge from Harry teddy walked forward and held out his arms, watching the tape with some trepidation. "Uhm, left." He said, uneasily.

"Righto. Let's see what we have here. The man handed Teddy several different choices in wands, Teddy's once excited face had fallen when after twenty minutes they still had not found a match. "Well this is an unusual combination, and I rarely use this wood, I happen to have been on Holiday when I found a particularly fine specimen. Here you are, Dog Wood, 10 inches, and unusually enough, hair of a thestral."

"I am sorry. Did you say hair of a thestral?" Harry said.

"Indeed, I have only ever had three of its kind. All from different males of the breed. It is rare to acquire as one can not actually see a thestral excluding seeing an unfortunate even of course. This is the only I have left. It is quite swishy. Try it out."

Teddy slowly reached, Harry's confusion seeming to make him nervous.

"Go on Teddy, try it out." Ginny urged.

As soon as the want touched his hand bright pink stars shot from the end, Teddy's hair changed from blonde to blue to green to pink, his eyes flashing every color of the rainbow, settling on bright blue. He looked at Harry, astonished.

"Well well, a meatamophagus like your mother eh? That makes sense, I should have asked to begin with. Thestral hair is great at rendering the user unseen and unlike other wands, it rarely if ever, changes allegiance. You will also never find yourself lost as long as you have your wand. Whenever you feel as if you don't know a way, just look to your wand young sir. Good day."

Teddy looked as confused as Harry felt as they walked from the shop.

"You know, that old tree in the back of Hogsmede…The one with everyone's initials, it is a dogwood." Ginny said hugging him closely. "And your father, and myself, we have both ridden a thestral before. They are incredibly special."

"What did he mean if I ever am lost? How would I get lost?"

"I don't know son, but at least you know how to find your way." Harry said ruffling the bright pink hair. "Are you aware that your hair is pink?"

Teddy blushed and shook his head, rendering his hair a happy sunny yellow. "I hate it when it does that."

They had finished their icecream when Harry and Ron decided to take Teddy to buy his owl. They were looking into cages of mini scops and huge barn owls when they heard Teddy shout.

"This one dad!" he yelled.

They made their way to his side where he stood in front of a large solid black barn owl, his head was tucked under his wing and he was hooting softly in his sleep. The store owner approached him.

"He is a beautiful owl, he will stand out in a crowd though, so if you are looking for something more integral, he's not it."

"I want him." Teddy insisted.

As if he understood the owl pulled his head out and fluffed his feathers, he looked them in the face and hooted. While his entire body was black his face was a perfect light white/yellow.

"It's him he's perfect dad! I'm going to call you moonbeam."

"Moonbeam?" Harry asked, looking at the owl, intrigued.

"Yeah, look his face looks like a full moon in a black sky!"

"So it does." Ron said with a smile.

"We can call him Mooney! Like my dad."

"Well that settles it. We'll take him with us now."

0o0o0o0o0o

He was staring at the column that stood between platforms 9 and 10. He had just watched a dark headed little boy run through pushing a trolly. The owl in the cage seemed to purr almost as it swung slightly in his hand. He was finding it hard to breathe. His mind raced back over the last eleven years, separating it into memories that stood out in his head, vivid, colorful images that brought as much sorrow over him leaving home as they did smiles of how amazing his life had been up until now.

0o0o0o

_He was laying on the couch drifting in and out of sleep. His arms were wrapped protectively around the baby who was laying sprawled out on his tummy nestled into Harry's chest. His hair was shock blonde and laying in soft ringlets, his little lips pouted out slightly_

_0o0o0o0o_

_"Hey noisy." He said as he reached into the crib to grab the wailing baby boy. "SSShhhhh." Teddy calmed down as he felt Harry close and heard his voice. "Hey little man, who knew you had those lungs, they had to come from your mum." He kissed the little boy fondly and walked to the kitchen to grab a bottle. He saw Ginny on her tip toes trying to reach a clean one in the cabinet and he smiled at his amazing fiancé._

_"While I love this view, why don't you take the baby and change him for me so I can use magic and make a bottle faster." He said as he held the baby out to her. Smiling widely she took the blue sleeper clad baby._

_"Come on little one lets get you cleaned up and fed."_

_0o0o0o0_

_"GBLGBLGLGJ AGHAGHAGH." He said insistently. Harry shook his head._

_"Come get it. You think you are big. Trying to crawl at seven months, come on." He said with a smile and holding his hands out. Teddy poked out his lip and looked back at the ball._

_"Agggggghhhh BLBLBLBLBL" he yelled. Harry laughed and watched his godson closely just incase he started to fall. Andromeda and Molly had both said that he wouldn't crawl until he was around 9 months old but Teddy was lifting his knee very carefully and trying to move his hands. He fell onto his tummy and cried out. It broke Harry's heart but somehow he stayed where he was speaking excitedly in encouragement._

_"Get back up. Come on you, you are going to be a chaser huh?" Teddy got back up on his knees and rocked once more quickly lifting his knees and then much to Harry's elation and surprise, he went. Straight for the quaffle. Harry cheered and picked him up when he got there throwing him into the air. "That's my little man! You did it your daddy is probably saying that his son is a genius." He assured him nuzzling his fat baby neck. But Teddy did not appreciate this kind of praise and squealed to be let down. Laughing at the small boy Harry sat him down in front of his prized ball. To which Teddy clapped his hands and smiled._

_Once on the floor it took Teddy no time to realize Harry's inexperience with mobile children. He took off faster than Harry could catch a snitch. In fact Harry couldn't catch him. He was a good deal slower without his firebolt. The baby crawled behind sofas and under tables, he uprooted bookshelves and magical tools. Harry only just caught the heavy cauldron right before it squished his godson. Parchment flew and ink splattered._

_O0o0o0o0o_

_UNC!" he yelled happily and clapped his hands. The four adults looked at each other quizzikly and then back at the baby. Teddy looked less than pleased with this response. He tried again,_

_"UNC. UNCA UNC." He hollered excitedly at Harry's stunned face._

_"He, did he just, did he just say my name? Was I his first word?" Harry stuttered. The baby continued to clap and smile at them all squealing UNC merrily in the background. Ginny nodded and kissed the baby's head. Andromeda smiled brilliantly._

_"Well, we've lost him completely now Ginny. He thinks his name is Unca. So Ginny, how do you think he will react when his first son says Dada?"_

_With that one phrase Teddy looked Harry straight in the face with a bemused expression, if an infant ever wore one,_

_"Daddaaa?" he said softly_

_O0o0o0o0o_

_Teddy's first birthday party, the first time he had been sick, TEETHING (the nightmare that it was), Christmas and Birthdays all played through his mind._

_0o0o0o_

_"What wrong little man? It is 2 in the morning."_

_Teddy wiped his eyes and rubbed his running nose._

_"I dreamed bad." he cried._

_Completely understanding the effect of nightmares, Harry lifted the covers and let the five year old climb into his arms. It took a few moments for him to settle into the crook of Harry's chest._

_"What did you dream?" he asked the still whimpering little boy._

_"I was really bad daddy, and you said I was so bad you weren't my daddy anymore. I don't want you to go away. I need you." he cried._

_Harry could feel the hot tears on his chest and he stroked the soft blonde curls that they only ever got to see when he was too sleepy to think to change it. He kissed his head before speaking again._

_"Teddy, we told you we are always going to be mummy and daddy. That will never ever change. If we weren't we wouldn't have to punish you when you were bad, we would just give you to someone else to do it. We have to make sure you behave because you are ours, baby. You will always be ours."_

_"But what, when mummy gets a baby in her own tummy, like Auntie Audrey? And then you will be his only one daddy, you won't need me, specially if I do bad things." he muttered._

_Harry was stunned silent for a moment. He didn't realize this had ever bothered Teddy._

_"Listen sport, you have two mummy's and two daddy's because you are so very special. You have a mummy and a daddy who loved you so so so very much that they shared peices of themselves to make you, and your mummy shared her tummy to help you grow. They loved you so much they went out and made a better world for you to live in and gave you to me and mummy to raise you and make sure you had a good life. We are your mummy and daddy because we love you so much we chose to share our hearts with you, and you own every little piece of them both, and when we have a baby in mummy's tummy it our hearts will just get bigger to make more love, you will not lose the pieces of us that are yours, because you are too important and we love you too much to ever let you go. And I promise, brother or sister, if it is anything like me and mummy it will get in trouble and get whippings too, there is no possible way around it." he said into the whispy soft hair._

_"Do you want to be my daddy?" Teddy replied through a yawn._

_"Yes, I do, but more than that, I love you so much that I need you to be my son."_

_"I love you daddy." the sleepy content voice said, before snuggling deeper into his arms._

_"I love you too little man." Harry murmured into his not so little boy's ear._

0o0o0oo0

"Dad! Earth to Dad!" Come in dad!"

Harry's eyes refocused and he saw that Teddy had reemerged without his trolly.

"Teddy, what are you doing?"

"Mum says if you don't come on you are going to miss me leaving. Don't you want to say goodbye to me?"

Harry grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, ignoring as he tried to wiggle out of it.

"No Teddy, noting in me wants to tell you goodbye today. Are you sure you can't just stay home with me forever?"

Teddy laughed and pulled away, Dad, I can't stay home forever. I have to go to school. And I am going to miss the train."

"Eh, I can fly you in a car, I know the way. Just don't forget some water."

"You are so weird." He pulled Harry towards the barrier.

"You have no idea." Harry muttered "I am going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too. But you still have the babies."

Harry stopped once more and turned Teddy to face him. "It doesn't matter how many kids that I have Teddy, you will always be the first, you are the one that made me realize it was all worth it."

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked, cocking his head sideways.

"Remember how I told you about the war, and how so much damage and death came from it?"

Teddy nodded, "Kind of hard to forget that conversation dad."

"Right, well, I used to think it was all my fault, for a long long time I nearly hated myself for it. But then someone, someone who knew just what it was to have an extra special godson, made me see that above anything else, you were worth it. It didn't matter what else had happened, you were here and safe and mine. And I will always always remember how after everything, you made my heart happy."

Teddy hugged him tightly again before they turned and yanked him through the wall. Harry and Bill loaded the trunk and owl onto the train while Teddy hugged a crying Ginny.

"Mum, I am not going to disappear and never come back." He grumbled into her chest.

"I am going to miss you so much Teddy bear." She kissed him and he wrinkled his nose.

"I love you mum." He said quietly, Harry nearly missed it over Victoire's sobs.

Harry patted his ten year old niece's back. Teddy turned and hugged her tightly.

"It's ok Vic, In a year you are coming with me and we can hang out every single day."

"Nu ugh you will want to be with the people in your year." She whimpered, wiping her tears.

"No way, you are my best friend. That will never change Vic." He hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Keep Jamie out of trouble for me."

At that James threw himself at Teddy's legs, swiftly followed by Albus.

"We don't want you to leave!" James wailed.

"Don go Teddy pwease!" Albus cried, tears pouring down his face.

"Awe, come on short stuffs. You are going to have so much fun while I am gone, I am so jealous. And who is going to wake me up before the sun on Saturdays, who is gonna play quidditch with me? No one as good as you two." He said with a smile ruffling each of their hair. Harry smiled, Teddy had yet to return his hair to its colorful state, it was Potter black and his eyes shone in the same green as Teddy and Harry's, a color he unintentionally frequented.

"But we love you." James sniffed.

"I love you too little guy. Jamie you are be good and don't forget that while I am gone, you are the biggest brother."

"Protect Lily and Al."

"That's right, you protect them and keep them safe."

"From big dogs and dragons."

Teddy laughed. "That's right, and don't let Daddy pick out their clothes alright, or yours either." James nodded while Harry, Ginny and Bill all laughed.

He picked Lily up and spun her around. "I love you princess!" he said, smothering her with kisses.

"Yuv You!" she giggled happily.

"You be a big girl and remember, no boys." The train sounded a warning whistle.

"NO NO boy." She chanted.

"I am the only boy you love, right."

"Muhum." She nodded. "Wuv bub!"

"I love you too baby girl." He kissed her and handed her off to Ginny, who was crying harder, he allowed her to kiss him once more.

"Teddy come on, I got a compartment!" Ollie yelled from the train.

Teddy nodded and waived behind him, running to meet his friend. He hopped onto the step before turning looking panicked and running back to Harry, who had been looking devastated. He threw himself into his arms.

"I though you forgot about me."

"Never."

"I love you, behave, and buy candy, and if you sneak around, please don't tell me. Oh and there is something in your bag that was once mine, and Remus' I think you should have it, and if you pass it down to one of your brothers, well don't tell me that either." He joked.

Teddy nodded. "I love you so much Dad, I'm gonna miss you."

"I love you too Little Man." Teddy smiled at the name and then ran off and got onto the train, waving out of a window of a compartment.

Harry lifted Albus into his arms, Bill did the same for James, they were both waiving happily. Victoire was tucked in between, both waving and crying. He felt Ginny's head on his shoulder, and he leaned to kiss her temple as they watched their little boy be taken away from them.

0o0o0o0o

The scarlet wall had seemed to fade into nothing as he stared at it. The quiet in the house was suffocating, which was odd seeing as Teddy was certainly not the quietest of the children in the house, come to think of it, even with Lily unable to fully talk, Teddy was the quietest, though that didn't mean he was quiet at all, the other three were just abnormally noisy.

"Harry love, the wall isn't going to go anywhere." Ginny said softly, slipping into the office after putting a crying James into his bed.

He looked up at her and smiled grimly. She looked beautiful, her hair had been pulled from its ponytail and lay in unassuming waves down her back. She was wearing a simple purple string tank top and a pair of stretchy short shorts, she was obviously ready for bed herself. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her down into his lap.

"You alright?" she asked as he buried her face in her hair.

"We did good right?"

"That depends on what you are thinking about." She said with a chuckle, he often forgot that people couldn't see inside of his head.

"Teddy, we did good with him right? Remus and Tonks, they would be proud?"

She turned so she was facing him, her knees on either side of his hips. "He is amazing. They would be beside themselves with the man he is turning into. He is caring and compassionate, he loves his little brothers and sister. He listens, most of the time, and he is respectful, again, most of the time. We did wonderfully with him, and he turned us into pretty amazing parents too, if I do say so myself."

"I can't believe he is gone."

"It is surreal. And oddly bittersweet."

Harry nodded in agreement. She kissed his lips softly. "So tell me, are you happy?"

"Of course I am, why would you ask that?"

"Well you were so set on being Uncle Harry, and failed miserably, you couldn't be more his daddy had I had him myself. All of your well laid plans of being a perfect Godfather and the cool uncle, went in the bin. How do you feel now, now that he is gone and off to Hogwarts."

"I wouldn't change a thing, not one. And I can only hope that his stay at Hogwarts is less eventful than my own." He said with a smile.

"Well, I am sure tonight for him is rather exciting. Any predictions on his house?"

"I am going to say Hufflepuff, he is a lot like Tonks. What do you say?"

"I am calling Gryffindor, he has parts of Remus and was raised by you, he has been thrown into the courage and confidence pool." She joked.

"I love you so much." He said.

"I love you too." She replied, bemused.

"I wouldn't change anything about that either, none of it, not the waiting or the wanting or the sex classes with Malfoy. You were worth everything I have ever waited for, lost or given up. I would be nowhere without you."

She smiled and kissed him deeply, pressing herself against him. "Mmmmm, well I can think of somewhere you can be with me."

He laughed as he continued to kiss her. "I like the sound of that Mrs. Potter. How long do we have?"

"Everyone is asleep for the night, you have all the time you need." She said, kissing his neck as he lifted her into his arms.

"Hmmmm, then you are all mine." He laughed as they passed the three kids' rooms, "until the sun rises that is."

**THE END**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**_Aaaaaannnnnddd BREATHE_**

**_Holy Crap I can't believe it is done!_**

**_Well, kinda, the next gen story is already up :)_**

**_It starts with Teddy in Hogwarts and will follow all the way through the Potter kids._**

**_I hope you read it and I hope you like it._**

**_Thank you for every review, favorite, PM and alert for this series._**

**_I am in disbelief that we finally got here._**

**_I hope you liked it and I can't thank you all enough._**

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**_Soar Into The Sun_**


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